Blue Musings

How Can You Tell When Someone's Bluffing?

2011-07-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

For one, when they actually say, "Don't Call My Bluff!"

Apparently Mr. Obama got a little pissy at House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as debt ceiling negotiations broke down on Wednesday, told him to "Don't call my bluff" and left the meeting in a huff, apparently in a hurry to catch a tee-time at Andrews Air Force Base, or something.

A little tip for the smartest person on the planet: If you're bluffing, you're probably better off not saying anything that indicates that YOU'RE ACTUALLY BLUFFING. Try a few of these more manly phrases on for size:

"Don't piss down my back and tell me its raining." Except of course that you couldn't tell the difference between piss running down your back and a downpour from a tropical storm caused by global warming.

"You mess with the bull, and you'll get the horns." If by "horns" you mean another blathering speech filled with empty platitudes.

"I WILL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SH*T DOWN YOUR NECK." Ooops, that would be Michelle expressing her dissatisfaction on your performance at the end of your last "date night."

Hopefully this little bit of advice helps you next time you're negotiating with a busted flush. You're welcome.

Obama DOJ Violates 5th Amendment

2011-07-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Obama "Justice" Department is attempting to compel a woman in Colorado Springs to decrypt the contents of her personal computer.

The Obama administration has asked a federal judge to order the defendant, Ramona Fricosu, to decrypt an encrypted laptop that police found in her bedroom during a raid of her home.

According to the DOJ:

Public interests will be harmed absent requiring defendants to make available unencrypted contents in circumstances like these. Failing to compel Ms. Fricosu amounts to a concession to her and potential criminals (be it in child exploitation, national security, terrorism, financial crimes or drug trafficking cases) that encrypting all inculpatory digital evidence will serve to defeat the efforts of law enforcement officers to obtain such evidence through judicially authorized search warrants, and thus make their prosecution impossible.

I guess violating the 5th Amendment rights (forcing them to provide testimony that might prove their own guilt) of someone accused of a crime is OK as long as it makes the prosecutors' jobs easier. If what is on that laptop is so important, why not send it along to NSA for analysis?
Fortunately the Electronic Frontier Foundation is weighing in on this subject.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2011-06-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

I may never call Domino's again! Except for making the dough, this is not very time consuming, but it IS inexpensive and tasty as HELL. Pair it with a nice salad and a bottle of wine and you will have a terrific light meal for two. Makes 2 10 inch personal pizzas.

Ingredients

For The Topping:

1 - 1.5 Chicken Breasts
3/4 - 1 Cup Shredded Gouda Cheese
3/4 cup thinly sliced Sweet Red Onion

For the Crust: (Allow approx 4 hours for rising, intermittent kneading and shaping)
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 tsp dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Lightly coat the chicken breast in the Memphis style dry rub (see here) , seal in a Ziploc bag and allow to marinate for 4-6 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare Your Crust. Make sure you start early enough for rising (approx 4 hours)!

Mix water and yeast in a medium bowl and let stand 15 minutes.
Gradually pour in 1 cup of the flour and stir to incorporate. Mix for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand at room temp, covered, about 45 minutes.
While you are waiting, go ahead and make your BBQ sauce (see here for recipe and instructions).
Put the sponge in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, mix in the salt and oil, and add the remainder of the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing to form a soft dough.
Once a ball is formed, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is satiny, with a little flour to keep it from sticking, about 5 minutes.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 2 - 2.5 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls. Place on a sheet pan, cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes
Roll out, pat or stretch the dough into roughly shaped 10-12 in circles or rectangles. They don't have to look perfect -- as a matter of fact, little pockets and crevices becoming hiding places for FLAVOR!

Prepare The Chicken

Preheat your grill to medium-high. Grill your chicken breasts over indirect medium high heat, until the juices run clear, usually 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside to cool enough to handle.
Chop the chicken into approx 1.2 - 1 inch cubes and put in a mixing bowl. Add the sliced red onion to the bowl.
Spoon in enough of your BBQ sauce to liberally coat the chicken and onion; set aside while you start grilling the crust.

Grill the Pizza!

Heat your grill to medium high heat.
Prepare the grill by seasoning the cleaned grill with canola oil. Don't bother with anything expensive, the point here is lubrication, not flavor. Make sure you rub the oil from back to front so you don't get scorched by any flareups when oil hits the flames.
Grill the crust over indirect medium heat with the grill cover/hood down for 5-8 minutes, until it starts to firm up a bit. Monitor the bottom of the crust to make sure it doesn't scorch.
Once the dough has started to bake, brush it with some of the BBQ sauce. Spread your chicken/onion/sauce mixture on top of the crust, close the grill hood, and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
When the crust appears to have finished baking, sprinkle the tops of the pizzas with the shredded Gouda cheese and close the hood for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Pull the pizza off the grill and put on a cutting board. Let rest for a few minutes; the crust will continue to bake a little bit on its own.

Cut the pizza into quarters and serve. Goes great with a spanish Tempranillo red wine.

Cheers!

BBQ Chicken Pizza, Part Deux: Let's Get Saucy!

2011-06-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

OK, this is the wet sauce to use for the pizza. You're gonna make much more than you'll need for the recipe, but it's all good -- this stuff can last several weeks in the fridge. I made this as a variant of the Crazy Cola Barbeque Sauce From Weber's Big Book of Grilling, and modified it to work with the spices of my dry rub. The end result is sweet, spicy, tangy, and if I had to put it in a single word -- SASSY.

Special thanks to my sis-in-law Missi, without whom I wouldn't have done this. She came to visit and wanted BBQ chicken grilled with a wet sauce, so I had to research and invent a little to come up with a winner. The requests of our loved ones drive us to greater heights. Mahalo, Missi!

2 Cups Coca-Cola
1 Cup tomato ketchup
1/4 Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey (if you live in France, this is a fine French liqueur, pronounced Jacque Danielle)
3 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
4-5 Tablespoons Minced Onion
1/4 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
2-3 Shots of Tabasco Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 shot of Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey; set aside.

Wisk all ingredients (except for the single shot of Jack Daniels) into a 1 or 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook down for 25-30 minutes.

If you are working on other components of the pizza at the same time, this is a great moment to bond with your creation. How does one bond with a BBQ sauce? That's what the shot of Jack you set aside is for.

After the sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat and allow to cool.

BBQ Chicken Pizza, Part I: The Rub

2011-06-26T11:02:00.001-07:00

You will only need one chicken breast for this recipe, but feel free to marinate the remainder of the pack in the same stuff. This rub stands alone for great flavor when you're just grilling some chicken, but it makes for a sensational base for the wet sauce I make a little later.

1/4 c Paprika
1 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1-3 tsp Cayenne Pepper, to taste. Dare greatly. Go for 3!
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Wash, then dry off the chicken breast (s). Sprinkle some of the rub (you won't need it all) over both sides of the chicken, then rub it in. Throw the breasts into a ziploc bag, force out the excess air, seal, and refrigerate. Let marinade for 4-6 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

This is a fabulous rub! I make double batches and keep a baggie in the kitchen for whenever I want to give a quick pick-me-up to grilled chicken.

Watchin' The Wave...

2010-11-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Its gonna be a fun night to watch election returns.

A couple early items of note:

Dan Coats takes the Senate seat in IN. That's +1 for Republicans
Rand Paul takes the open Seat in KY. Completely expected.

Off to walk the pups and get a quick workout, then settle in with a lovely adult beverage and let the cheering begin!

6:45 Mountain: The worlds biggest asshat, Alan Grayson, has been beaten by Daniel Webster in FL. Now I can simply call him Mr. Asshat instead of Congressman Asshat. Life is good.

6:49 Mountain: I notice that CNN likes to announce Democratic wins a "Big" Wins, and any gains by Republicans as "wins". Most trusted name in news, my ass.

7:04 Mountain: OK, polls closed in Colorado. My colleague was 90 minutes late to work today due to lines at the polls this morning; usually when El Paso County turns out big, that means good news for Republicans. Fingers crossed....

7:16 Mountain: CNN projects Republicans will take control of the House. Speaker Boehner: "Thanks Nancy, for the gavel. Now go sit down and STFU"

7:31 Mountain: Listening to Sen-elect Marco Rubio giving voice to the humility he knows this election is all about. Good luck to you Senator and don't lose the feeling you have right now.

7:54 Mountain: Nothing significant to report. Have I accurately expressed how much of an asshat Alan Grayson is?

8:00 Mountain: CNN projects McCain, Blunt, Vitter, and Grassley will all win their elections. Blunt is a pickup, but congratulations to John McCain. He's a RINO but I love him anyway. Heroes deserve our respect. Six more years, Senator, then please retire after a lifetime of service. You've done enough.

8:11 Mountain: Jim DeMint is asked directly if he's thinking about running for Prez in 2012. His response: "No, I'm not." Gotta love a direct answer.

8:55 Mountain: Russ Feingold falls to a Tea Party candidate from Wisconsin. I would never vote for Feingold, but I can respect him as a principled person. C'est la guerre, or should I say C'est la politique.

9:03 PM: CNN is now talking about Nikki Haley as the first "Indian-American female governor"as opposed to Bobby Jindahl as the first "Indian-American governor" -- you ever wonder why liberals are so obsessive about identity politics?

Never Forget

2010-09-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

I kneel in mourning for those murdered 9 years ago today, and stand in salute to the many heroes who saved countless others, and in doing so, gave their own lives.

September 11, 2001 was a unique day for me. My Air Force unit had just started our every 18 months Operational Readiness Inspection and exercise, and I was pulling the early day shift in our missile warning center battlestaff.

I left the battlestaff area for a few minutes to attend to some exercise related business, when one of the civilian contractors I worked with came running into my office. "Captain, I think you better get back in there; CNN just reported that a plane just flew into the World Trade Center." In true Air Force fashion, my question, as I got my ass in gear, was "Is this exercise, or real-world?" At that moment, very few of us understood how our world was changing.

Entry into the battlestaff didn't seem to be too dramatic; everyone was going about their business but increasingly our attention was drawn to the TV where we had CNN running 24 hours per day. In the meantime, we continued with our exercise, responding to inputs from the Air Force Space Command inspectors as the worldwide readiness exercise continued.

Responding to exercise incidents such as simulated "bomb threats" on the base while watching the second plane fly into the WTC was like being on another planet, until someone asked the obvious question to our Commander: "Uh, sir, shouldn't somebody suspend the exercise until we know what the hell is going on?" Our boss, being exceptionally good at taking advice from his subordinates, got on the Red Phone and sent the question up the chain to our Group and Wing Commanders. Finally, the answer came back down: "Suspend all exercise activities, retain battlestaff in place for further instructions." Then the words that every Commander wants to say when there's an Inspector General rep around: "Major, get out of my war room." A moment of levity while tragedy unfolded on the screen in front of us, and a very quiet Air Force Space Command Major left the battlestaff.

Finally the word came down from on high: "Exercise cancelled. Threatcon DELTA has been declared." Suddenly I'm in a room full of fellow Air Force Captains and Majors are all "assholes and elbows," on the horn, locking down the secure areas, sealing blast doors, and dispersing the squadron, all while keeping watch over our strategic mission, the events in New York and D.C., and trying to keep ourselves personally focused on the task at hand. Once finished, with the immediate tasks, we all settled in for a long day of watching the rest unfold -- United Flight 93 going down in Shanksville, the collapse of the towers, the confusion and emotion of New Yorkers as they ran in fear for their lives.

Finally, after a long 16 hour day, I made the short drive home, which was possibly the most surreal experience of the day. Heading out the base gate, there were no cars on the normally busy road home. None. Completely vacant--like rapture had happened and I was the only one left. Until I turned into my neighborhood, and on the empty streets, as far as I could see, every home was flying Old Glory, showing their love for their country, and unity with the victims and heroes of that day.

And that's my 9/11 story. God Bless America, and God bless the victims and heroes of September 11th.

Amazing Pole Dance

2010-09-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

I'm as big a fan of a pole dance as the next guy, but this is amazing. Make sure to watch the gentleman starting at 0:44 -- incredible demonstration of strength!

The Wheels On The Bus DON'T Go 'Round

2010-08-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you see things that are just too prophetic.

Last night, I'm driving home and have to pull over for gas in Castle Rock. When I pull up to the pump, on the other side is the campaign bus for the Junior Senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet.

He's not gassing up; he's broken down. He and his campaign staff are trying to get the bus working again so they can get onto their next event. They were unable to get moving again, and as I pulled away I saw them transferring their campaign paraphernalia into staffer's personal vehicles so they could be on their way. For all I know that bus is still sitting there.

As I resumed my trip, it occurred to me that what I saw was a perfect metaphor for liberal leadership in this country. They don't know what to do, and they can't things going.

Oh, yeah, you'll also notice -- it's a SHORT bus. The metaphor is complete.

We Chose To Go To The Moon...

2010-07-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Powerful words -- inspiring, visionary, that articulated a clear, definite purpose. Different times from now.

I'm sure that Tuesday, July 20th will merit some small mention on media broadcasts, noting the anniversary of mankind's greatest achievements. Maybe they'll show a clip of Neal Armstrong stepping down from the Lunar Excursion Module and saying "...that's one small step for man..." You know the rest.

This was not only a singular historic event, it is quite simply, one of the most inspiring events in my lifetime. OK, I'll admit it--I'm a bit of a space junkie. I watched every Apollo launch my parents would allow, watched every moon walk (not the ones by Michael Jackson) and thrilled to the adventure of man's exploration of space.

I watched the first space shuttle launch from Ponce Inlet, Florida and still get a gas from seeing the launches and watching a well-executed landing after a mission in high-Earth orbit.

The inspiration of those days in the late 1960's were probably what defined me the most, made me want to...be involved in space, somehow. I joined the U.S. Air Force and after a few years I was able to spend quite a bit of time involved in space operations, so I guess I got my wish. So the Apollo program was so much more than just a stunt to beat the Russians--it inspired a generation to study technology, engineering, and for some, space.

To have lived during that time, watching history being made, was a special time. The consciousness of watching that one small step, and in a moment, changing from living in a universe where man had never set foot on another world, to living in one where had -- that was a powerful moment, and utterly unforgettable for those of us lucky enough to see it.

The American lexicon almost immediately reflected a new reality -- "If we can put a man on the moon, we oughta be able to..." It wasn't just a saying; it was an acknowledgment: we can do absolutely anything we can conceive and have the will to pursue. In short, nothing is impossible to the human imagination.

41 years have passed since that wonderful, inspiring day, and 37 since the last manned mission to the moon. In the meantime, we've seen wars and crises, upheavals and challenges. Man continues to look inward, and has for over 35 years preferred to limit himself to low-earth orbit, and now the current administration is not even interested in that, opting instead to out-source launches to the Russian Space Agency.

Now, the current NASA administrator has revealed he has a new mission, given to him by the President:

"One, he wanted me to help reinspire children to want to get into science and math; he wanted me to expand our international relationships; and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

Forget the quote about making Muslim nations feel good about their contributions to science, math, and engineering. Think instead about REINSPIRING CHILDREN TO WANT TO GET INTO SCIENCE AND MATH -- if we've decide we no longer should be a space-faring nation, how do we convince the next generation that going into space is important? How do you inspire children to do something you don't have the will to do yourselves? As Plutarch said, "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted." Igniting the minds of future generations will take much more than words; it will take ACTS, large ones, that reflect the boldness and vision of President Kennedy's words.

The space program is so important to us; space exploration is the next logical step in mankind's evolution. The current administration's abandonment of space exploration is a crime to our future -- our children, and our race. We CHOSE to go to the Moon, and now we CHOOSE to hitch rides into space with the Russians, when at one time we were at the forefront of space exploration.

I can only hope that soon future leaders will realize that our future is not HERE, it is OUT THERE, and have the vision and courage to articulate that vision, so Neil Armstrong's "one small step" becomes the "giant leap" it should have always been. I hope I'm alive to see it.

Some Thoughts On Liberty

2009-06-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Very interesting argument in support of Gay Marriage, in the context of liberty:

"...there are two fundamental schools of thought here. Some of us believe that to be conservative is to defend freedom, preserve individual liberty, and keep government small. Others believe that being conservative is about electing a government that will defend and enforce “traditional” values.
For our purposes here, a list of those values isn’t relevant. But if you place yourself in this camp, consider whether you truly want a government that will enforce your personal values at gunpoint (this is what all laws effectively do). And if you surrender such power to the government — power to defend not your life or your property, mind you, but your values — can you live with the consequences when your officials are no longer in power and you are staring down the business end of that barrel? Could you live with mandatory government schooling, for instance? (I could not). When you find yourself in a minority, as everyone does at some point, what protections do you imagine that you will have, other than our Constitution? One of the beauties of that document is that no citizen can undermine it without eventually putting his own interests in peril.

In the context of this debate, it is impossible to overemphasize that this is the same inspired, carefully considered document that protects the religious freedom we hold dear."

In other words, the government doesn't (or shouldn't) exist to enforce any one group's belief system. It exists to protect us -- our lives, liberty, property and rights. As conservatives, we must -- MUST -- center on these few unifying concepts as a foundation for recovery.

Let Us Never Forget

2009-05-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

For those who gave that last full measure of devotion. For those who serve, or have served, or sit in worry for those in harm's way, thank you and bless you all.

And when the wind in the tree-tops roared,
The soldier asked from the deep dark grave:
"Did the banner flutter then?"
"Not so, my hero," the wind replied.
"The fight is done, but the banner won,
Thy comrades of old have borne it hence,
Have borne it in triumph hence."
Then the soldier spake from the deep dark grave:
"I am content."

Then he heareth the lovers laughing pass,
and the soldier asks once more:
"Are these not the voices of them that love,
That love--and remember me?"
"Not so, my hero," the lovers say,
"We are those that remember not;
For the spring has come and the earth has smiled,
And the dead must be forgot."
Then the soldier spake from the deep dark grave:
"I am content."

--Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1895

How About Standing For Liberty?

2009-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

A wonderful article by Shikha Dalmia at Forbes online, discussing how the Republican party should rebuild (or at least refocus) on liberty as a unifying concept:

So what should the Grand Old Party do to resurrect itself enough to mount some semblance of resistance to the advancing Democratic juggernaut? The answer is that it needs intellectual coherence around a powerful idea, and that idea should be liberty. This is a principle that is both strong enough to intellectually moor the party in the way that those who want a "purer" GOP desire--and grand enough to appeal to a broad swath of the population, as those who advocate a more Big Tent approach recommend...

But to truly become the party of liberty, conservatives have to accept liberty not just in name but also in attitude. They can't be the party of liberty if they reject the consequences of liberty. This means they have to internalize the notion that leaving individuals free to incrementally revise existing institutions in response to shifting human needs adds to--not subtracts from--the overall social well-being. To put it in economics terms, liberty produces positive--not negative--externalities. It doesn't destroy existing culture, community and country, but rather produces what Hayek called "spontaneous order," which, without bloodshed, allows the old and decrepit ways to be replaced by new and better ones. In short, they have to unabashedly welcome progress and finally purge the ghost of William F. Buckley, who keeps telling them to "stand athwart history and cry stop."

What a concept! The party of Lincoln and Reagan once again standing for the single most powerful unifying idea in American history, LIBERTY, and throwing off some of the burdens associated with late 20th Century conservatism: religion, culture warfare, and exclusion.

I'm reminded of this quote from a conservative's Conservative, Barry Goldwater:

"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents "interests, " I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can."

What Are They Smoking At Maxim?

2009-05-14T19:24:00.001-07:00

You know the cult of personality has gone completely overboard when Maxim magazine puts the FLOTUS in their list of the worlds 100 hottest women.

I mean, I guess she's OK looking for a women in her forties, but in the top 100? What really disturbs me is that she came in higher than: Deanna Russo, Marisa Tomei, Yvonne Strahovski, and Padma Lakshmi. PADMA LAKSHMI.

OK, lets have a side by side comparison:

<---- Obama/ Lakshmi ---->

One more, just so I boost my Google hit count:

<---- Obama/ Lakshmi ---->

Note to the editors of Maxim: You might want to review your rating process!

How Much Of This Is Real?

2009-05-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the following video featuring the now C-list celebrity Janeane Garafalo:

Ms Garafalo apparently thinks everyone who went to a tea party is a racist. Or at least she'd like you to think so...

You hear her, and hear "celebrities" like Bill Maher, Perez Hilton and others with this constant left-wing hate speech, and you gotta wonder -- how much of this is what they actually BELIEVE, and how much of this is about getting their images on screen and their names mentioned on news programs? Let's face it--Ms Garafolo isn't as popular as she was 10 years ago. Is it possible that she's just trying to boost her own personal "Q" ratings?

Are we living in an era where politics is just part of the nexus of celebrity, reality TV and infotainment?

How To Blow It In Business Without Really Trying

2009-05-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Mr Obama shows why he needs to focus on his CONSTITUTIONAL responsibilities instead of trying to run banks and auto companies:

"Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion in bailout money it received earlier this year and as part of its bankruptcy filing.

This revelation was buried within Chrysler's bankruptcy filings last week and confirmed by the Obama administration Tuesday. The filings included a list of business assumptions from one of the company's key financial advisors in the bankruptcy case.

Some of the main assumptions listed by Robert Manzo of Capstone Advisory Group were that the Treasury would forgive a $4 billion bridge loan given to Chrysler in the closing days of the Bush administration, a $300 million fee on that loan, and the $3.2 billion in financing approved last week by the Obama administration to fund Chrysler's operations during bankruptcy."

Not only do we get stiffed on the payback for the previous loans, we now get to "lend" them MORE. This does bring into question how reliable we think GM will be in paying back THEIR loans.

Of course, what else can we expect from a President who spends almost a $787 Billion on a "stimulus," promises budget deficits for the next 10 years, and tells us that a $17 Billion dollar reduction in spending is "significant."

We also found out this week that there is no real oversight over how the Stimulus money is being spent. Congressional members of the Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board aren't even showing up to the meetings--but they're gonna have a website!

Yep, change is in the air--and it smells like crap.

Yet Another Liberal Idiot

2009-05-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Rep Alcee Hastings (D-FL) proposing an amendment to the Hate Crimes bill to protect individuals who engage certain activities, many of which can be enjoyed on any Friday night at Barney Frank's house:

Here's the list again: "apotemnophilia, asphyxophilia, autogynephilia, coprophilia, exhibitionism, fetishism, frotteurism, gerontosexuality, incest, kleptophilia, klismaphilia, necrophilia, partialism, pedophilia, sexual masochism, sexual sadism, telephone scatalogia, toucherism, transgenderism, transsexual, transvestite, transvestic fetishism, urophilia, voyeurism, or zoophilia."

I'll leave the reader to google any of these that they wish. Many of these are relatively harmless (albeit icky), but I think we can all agree that the world would be better off if we didn't protect necrophilia and PEDOPHILIA under hate crimes legislation.

Also note Mr. Hastings wanted to protect "toucherism" under the hate crimes bill. This is defined as "a paraphilic condition in which sexuoerotic arousal and gratification are dependant on surreptitiously touching the erotic parts on the body of a stranger, particularly the breasts, buttocks, or genital area."

In other words, a woman who smacked someone who groped her on a train could be tried for a "hate crime."

Has The Press Gone Off The Deep End?

2009-04-30T16:39:00.000-07:00

Seriously. This exchange between New York Times (of course) reporter Jeff Zeleny and Obama last night:

I gotta say, quite simply: "What the fu*$!" Has the press gone so ga-ga over Oblahblah that they can't even bother to hide their gushing, slobbering admiration? They have gone completely Ace and Gary over Oblahblah.

Check out this from Tom Shales' article in the Washington Post:

Barack Obama is a truly flabbergasting president. And in a good way -- not the way some of his predecessors were. He's not flabberghastly.

When Obama answers a question, you don't slap your forehead and moan, "Oh, brother!" He is, as guest expert David Gergen noted on CNN after the news conference, not only "up to speed" on the pressing issues of our time but also articulate about addressing them in a friendly, accessible way. He's not the student who wears a button that says, "Smartest kid in class," but clearly he is, at least when surrounded by the White House press corps.

Obama can use a five-dollar word such as "overarching" in one sentence and a few sentences later utter a folksy "doggone it." His verbiage is a melting pot that's always bubbling. A few times, he did stumble over words, and once or twice appeared semantically stranded, unable to find the precise language he wanted to use. But compare him with his predecessor and such moments seem trifling.

Hookers at least CHARGE when they give hand-jobs.

The Cult Of Personality Gets Creepier

2009-04-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

As found on the JC Penney website. At least we know what the Obama worshipers will be spending their extra 13 bucks a week on.

Friday Humor

2009-04-24T10:28:00.001-07:00

Sounds remarkably like half the blog arguments on the old JSM site. Good for laugh!

Watch We Didnt Start the Flame War and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

Haiku As Political Commentary

2009-04-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I recently checked out a site called "Serenity Thru Haiku: Surviving the Obama Years"

I was so inspired by the site I decided to try it once for myself:

Mean, third-rate actress
Calls Tea Party Folks Racists
Bitter, Has-been, libtard!

Wounded Warriors On The Road To Recovery

2009-04-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

Take a few minutes to read the article on the Weekly Standard on the Ride To Recovery for wounded vets on a bike ride from San Antonio to Dallas. Truly a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the best among us.

...I approached Duane Wagner on a back road that twisted between the cattle ranches of south central Texas. Wagner, one of the Vietnam vets, is missing both legs below the knees. His prosthetic legs are black cylinders, decorated with American flags. They are perhaps half the diameter of the shaved, muscular thighs that rest on them, and no one else on the ride wore anything that resembles them at all.

Wordin had introduced Wagner at the briefing we'd had that morning before we left San Antonio. The ovation he'd gotten from the group suggested that he was respected, even revered by those on the ride.

I was slightly out of breath when I pulled even with him. Wagner was pedaling methodically, his legs pumping without much effort. We pedaled together for a bit, and I tried to make polite conversation. Beautiful day. Ride much? Texas is pretty. I thought I'd throw him some lingo to demonstrate that I was down with wounded warrior jargon. That Bam-cee sure is an impressive facility, I said, referring to the Brooke Army Medical Center.

The conversation was one-sided. Wagner told me that he'd done a previous ride in California but otherwise kept his answers short. He wasn't being impolite, just not particularly friendly.

After several periods of silence, Wagner asked me what I was doing on the ride. "I'm just hoping to finish," I said in the annoying, sing-songy tone I unconsciously reserve for people with disabilities.

For the first time, Wagner looked up from the road ahead and turned his head to me.

"You f--ing pussy," he said, more in disappointment than anger.

I looked in vain for a smile.

"Hoping?" he said, his voice full of disdain.

I tried to explain.

I haven't been on a road bike in more than 25 years. I've had six surgeries on my knees. I've been riding my mountain bike, but the weather in D.C. hasn't allowed me to be out as much as I'd like. And I've had some real stiffness in my back.

I recognized that I sounded like the feline in his accusation, but for reasons unclear to me, I kept going.

I've been working a lot lately and although I get to the gym regularly, I've found that it's really hard to get in good shape on an elliptical.

Wagner waited until I was done.

"I'm 62 years old and a double-amputee who broke his back six months ago," he said. "And I'm going to finish. If you don't finish, I'm going to find your local newspaper and tell them to write a story about what a pussy you are."

Harris Poll On Economy -- Blame The Media!

2009-04-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

A recent Harris Poll indicated that a majority of respondents blame the media, advertising agencies and/or friends and family for the economic crisis and causing people to buy things they could not afford. Read the entire Harris Poll report here.

Two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe advertising agencies have at least some responsibility for the current economic crisis because they caused people to buy things they couldn’t afford. In fact, one-third (33%) believe they have complete or a great deal of responsibility;
Print media, such as newspapers and magazines, are deemed to have at least some responsibility by almost three in five Americans (59%) while 56% of Americans say news and other information websites bear at least some responsibility for the economic crisis;
Just over half of Americans say talk shows on TV or radio (55%), cable news programs (54%) and network and local news programs (53%) all have at least some responsibility for the current economic crisis because they caused people to buy things they couldn’t afford; and,
Friends and family come out a little better – just over half (54%) say they do not have that much responsibility or no responsibility at all for causing Americans to buy things they couldn’t afford.

Hey folks, an important--the MOST important-- cause for people buying things they can't afford wasn't included in the survey. Need a clue? Look in the mirror.

That's what's wrong with this country -- people not taking responsibility for their own actions, and polls that validate that victim mentality.

There Oughta Be A Law...

2009-04-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

...to make sure everyone knows about these 40-percenters who got Obama's "tax refund" that is nothing more than a handout. After all, those of us who pay the bills should know what we pay for, right?

So here's my idea. Everyone who gets an Obama "tax refund" and never pays a dime in taxes are required to self identify. Since they rely on the government for everything else, let the government provide them with the means.

Think about it. You get the big "tax refund" -- you gotta wear the t-shirt. Are you an exec of a bank or other company getting a bailout? Uncle Obama can provide a nice little piece of bling to wear on the lapel of your jacket. Get a mortgage bailout? Yard sign!

I think I'm on to something here!

CNN: The Most Busted Name In News

2009-04-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

CNN's Susan Roesgen at the Chicago Tea Party yesterday shows why CNN is circling the drain.

Ms. Roesgen spends most of her time arguing with the protestors instead of actually INTERVIEWING the people she's there to cover. Then when she decides she's had enough, she tags her segment and hands it back to the CNN anchor:

OK, Cara, we'll move on over here. I think you get the general tenor of this. It's anti-government. Anti-CNN since this is highly promoted by the right wing conservative network Fox, and since I can't really hear much more and I think this is not really family viewing it's time to come back to you Kyra."

Then Kyra Phillips back in Atlanta says: "Wow, that is a prime example of what we're covering here. Susan pointed out everything plain and clear what she's dealing with."

Typical CNN:

Argue Democratic party talking points
Don't let anyone else really get a word in edgewise
Make sure CNN and the personalities are an integral part of the story
Blame Fox!

CNN hit their high water mark during the first night of the first Gulf War and have been going down ever since.