Trojan Horseshoes

2002-10-12T01:10:00.000-04:00

Moving Day

Well, I'm finally moving off of Blogspot. The new home can be found here. I'll be fiddling with stuff for a few days, rather than posting, but feel free to go ahead and change your bookmarks.

2002-10-11T09:25:00.000-04:00

Analysis of the Iraq Resolution passed by Congress

A few gems by Steven den Beste.

We will now observe one of those marvelous paradoxes which keep appearing in politics. Since Bush won't require UN authorization for war, he'll get it. If the bill which passed Congress had included a requirement for UN authorization, it would not have happened. Isn't political logic grand? If the Senate does approve the House language for the bill as now seems likely, then it will become evident to the members of the Security Council that the train is going to leave the station, and they can be on it or under it. With an authorization for war not requiring UN approval in his pocket, Bush will be far less subject to attempts at extortion by the veto powers, and they will recognize that refusing authorization will only harm the UN without any commensurate benefit. UN approval will still be useful, and Bush will be willing to pay a small price to get it, but he doesn't require it and he is in a good position to negotiate. But if Congress had required Bush to obtain UN approval, then the veto powers in the Security Council would have had him up a tree, and would have attempted to extort huge concessions in exchange for their votes. With a requirement for UN approval, their votes would have had actual significance. Without such a requirement, their votes will largely be symbolic.

Also...

Section 2 encourages and applauds effort to work with the UN, but pointedly includes no requirement for UN approval. By deliberately mentioning the UN in this way without any such requirement, it makes clear that Congress considered and rejected any requirement for UN approval. Section 3 gives the President the power to attack Iraq if he decides that further diplomacy is useless to enforce UN resolutions, or because he decides it has become necessary in order to "protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq." As written, it's clear that either of those will be sufficient grounds; both are not required. What this means is that even if Saddam actually comes (or seems to come) 100% into compliance with UN resolutions, Bush still has permission to attack if he concludes that our national security is at risk, and he does not have to explain that decision to Congress. They have authorized him to make that decision and have not reserved that decision to themselves, nor do they intend to second-guess it as a formal action. Of course, when the time comes, he will undoubtedly make a speech explaining the decision. But I feel that this is a reasonable grant of authority.

den Beste is very good at analyzing this kind of stuff, If you have a few minutes, It is well worth the time spent reading the whole thing.

2002-10-10T20:02:00.000-04:00

Great Ad about the NJ election...

This ad refers to Toricelli/Lautenberg switch on the New Jersey ballot, far after the legal deadline for such a switch. Thanks to Rand Simberg for the link.

2002-10-10T14:26:00.000-04:00

My Last Name

Meryl Yourish was kind enough to link to my post below about poop-spam. Afterwards, Meryl commented "Man, Tony, you must get some great searches with that last name of yours. And some creepy ones, too." Well, Surprisingly enough, I don't get many weird referrals on that. Almost all of them with Hooker are related to the Hooker Trojan, not quite what you would expect seeing the last name alone. (Of course, my blog title helps a bit with the trojan part of it...) There have been a few for people looking for Hookers in Copenhagen, as I recall... But i wonder if the poop-spam post will up my Google rankings for Diaper Blowout. I'm only at 12th place now.

2002-10-09T08:19:00.000-04:00

Worst Spam Ever

Ok, I normally Don't read spam. But In this case, I had to make an exception. This is hands down, the absolute worst piece of spam I have ever recieved. Worse than "Work at Home". Worse than "SAVE 50-75% OFF Quality Inkjet Cartridges!". Worse than Breast enlargement ads. Even worse than the Sporn (Porn Spam) that cosntantly gets sent to me. This even beats the Nigerian Money scam-spam. The subject for this one? "RE: Your Bowels Cleaned" This really made me morbidly curious. Instead of deleting it with the others, I decided to take a peek.

Let me ask you this...which is worse: A. The engine on your Lexus freezes up at 160,000 miles instead of 300,000. You take a financial hit and you are forced to buy a Camry this time. B. You start bleeding during bowel movements. You go to the doctor and get poked, prodded, X-ray'd, biopsied, etc. 3 days later you get a call for a consultation. The doctor informs you that you have advanced colon cancer at 45 years old. You have anywhere from 6 months to 5 years left to live. He tells you it's time to get your house in order because you'll be checking out soon. Chemotherapy starts today. A friend of mine who was a science and health researcher at the University of Chicago, just died this past year of colon cancer at 42. In he midst of the prime of his life, he said goodbye, and left his wife and child behind, wondering what just hit them. Why do you brush your teeth? Are your teeth falling out right now? For most of us, we do it so we won't need false teeth and Fixodent own the road...right? We want to be able to eat apples. Hey, I agree with that. Natural teeth are great. But have you ever seen someone who was forced to endure a colonectomy? Someone who now will be spending the rest of their life carrying a bag around? Incredibly, this is an area where even the staunchest MD's AGREE with us!! Can you believe it? If they knew you had the greatest colon cleanse in the world, I bet they might even refer people to you. NO, I'm not kidding... This subject is not even up for debate. It's a proven fact. The problem is, most people are not doing anything about it. Please don't be one of them. ****WARNING***** The next section of this email contains graphic material which may not be suitable for squeamish individuals. Let's talk stools. The stool tells you a lot about your colon health. If it's dark brown in color, and it sinks, and it stinks, that's not good. And don't feel bad, that's the way most people are. What you want to see is light brown color, which means it's full of fresh bile from the liver, very mild odor, and a stool that floats. We're talking low-density here folks. The more compaction you have the darker the color and the faster it sinks. compaction is not good. Also, moving bowels should be SIMPLE. If the veins are popping out of your neck and you feel like your doing the bench press, you NEED to cleanse your colon. When you do the cleanse, for the first few days....things are a little weird. But you know you're cleansed when you see the above good stuff happening, and you are eliminating at least 2-3 times per day. Cleansing your colon is a 30-day process. Its also very economical at $43.00. You may be very surprised at some of the benefits you will receive besides just losing 1-5 lbs of cr*p from your body and brightening your future health. People have reported more energy, less allergies, clearing of acne, cessation of migraines, and many other results, not to mention restored regularity. When your body is void of old, poisonous toxins that are constantly being reabsorbed through the colon walls, it can begin to heal again. And when the colon walls are clean, the good nutrients from your food and supplements can be absorbed again. You will be thrilled with the results. At this point you are either nauseated thinking about what is inside your own colon, or you're ready to do something about cleaning it out. Want more info? Click here and I'll send it to you, including instructions on how to take it. And yes, I have taken it myself. Currently available only in the U.S. and Canada. Seeking Distributors to meet high demand. **Email link deleted**

2002-10-07T15:19:00.000-04:00

Winning Elections By Any Means Necessary

Ok, Lets put on our conspiracy hats for just a moment. If you were a Democrat strategist, and you wanted to make sure that the republicans would not gain seats in the House and the Senate, how would you do that? Well, you could always use the Calvinball approach, and change the rules in the middle of the election to benefit your party, like they did in New Jersey. But over time, that would get a lot of notice, and would require a lot of work by a lot of people in various states. But, what if you could find a faster way to hurt the Republicans. Say, perhaps the Economy. Not just in a couple of races, but across the whole country, causing a downturn nationwide, to lower Bush's approval rating (And with it, Republican chances for control of Congress). And this plan wouldn't require much work at all. In fact, It would specifically require No Work by a group of California longshoremen. Get one single union group to go on strike until after the election, hose up the entire economy, and make sure that it is impossible for the Republicans to get a majority in both houses of Congress. Nice plan. After all, If they are making an average of $106,883, I'd bet the longshoremen can easily afford to take a couple of months off, much more easily than the everyday people whose retirement accounts they are devastating with their strike. Basic idea for this post thanks to Rodger Schultz

2002-10-07T14:09:00.000-04:00

Never Underestimate the Stupidity of the Media.

Here we are, about to go to war with Iraq. However, according to AP, most networks can't be bothered to show a presidential address, where Bush will be speaking about the threat we face in Iraq, and why war is justified.

- ABC: Not planning live coverage. - NBC: Not planning live coverage. - MSNBC: Planning live coverage. - CBS: Not planning live coverage. - FOX News: Undecided. - FOX: Undecided. - CNN: Planning live coverage.

This is downright sad. This is hands down one of the most important things facing the country, but I suppose the new episodes of Drew Cary, Fear Factor, King of Queens, and a 30 year reunion of MASH are more important issues facing us all. At least CNN is going to show it, but I'd bet they will have commentary afterwards by French, German and Iraqi Politicians. Or at least the far left wing of the Democrat party, who are likely to use the same anti-war arguments. Link via K-Lo in The Corner.

2002-10-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

Boy, I'm a cheapskate!

Ok, I'm sure that many of you have noticed the large number of people switching from Blogspot to Moveable Type, or some other similar solution. I was wondering... Would it be possible for a multiple blogs to share a single host and installation of MT, without too many security issues? I'd like to move off blogspot, but I'm not so sure I could justify spending the cash for a domain name and even a el-cheapo hosting service. But if several low-bandwidth blogs all chipped in together on it...

2002-10-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

My kind of Holiday...

National Ammo Day Celebrate the second amendment by buying 100 rounds of ammunition on November 19th. Great for hunting, self defense, target practice and annoying the anti-gun lobbyists.

2002-10-05T21:16:00.000-04:00

Send her hatemail

Especially if it ends up producing rants this good.

2002-10-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

A "True Blue" Candidate.

Stan Jones, a 63-year-old business consultant and part-time college instructor, said he started taking colloidal silver in 1999 for fear that Y2K disruptions might lead to a shortage of antibiotics. He made his own concoction by electrically charging a couple of silver wires in a glass of water. His skin began turning blue-gray a year ago.

Read the rest here. Link via Fark

2002-10-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

Cold Fury's Thought Experiment

Just a small portion:

Okay, let's just try a little thought experiment here, just for the hell of it. July 2001, The New York Times (front page): President Bush made his case to the UN today for invading Afghanistan and forcing the Taliban from power. Citing evidence of Taliban support for "terrorist" groups like the little-known al Qaeda, Bush stated that while the US has no desire to be "the world's policeman," the UN should act swiftly to pass a resolution demanding the ouster of Afghanistan's elected leadership or face the possibility of unilateral action by the US. But critics say the evidence of a real threat to the US posed by groups like the al Qaeda, whose relatively few members live in caves and tents in isolated areas of the mountainous areas of the country, is actually questionable at best and has been grossly exaggerated by the Bush administration. The leaders of the European Union are especially skeptical. An anonymous source from France's UN delegation stated that al Qaeda possesses no weapons that could conceivably be a danger to the United States: "We're talking here about a small band of militants who have no weapons any more threatening than AK-47's and small anti-tank rockets. The US has the strongest military in the world, and the temptation for Bush to flex American muscle is apparently more than he finds himself able to resist. If the US decides to unilaterally attack a sovereign nation like Afghanistan, it will be shunned by the international community, and rightly so."

Read the rest. It is well worth your time. This is one of those pieces good enough to immediately add a link to my blogroll. Link via TANSTAAFL

2002-10-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

Anti-Racism conference for Whites only

Delegates at an anti-racism conference voted Wednesday to expel non-whites from the meeting, saying it was too traumatic to discuss slavery in front of them. The dozen or so Blacks and a couple of Asians, mainly interpreters and members of non-governmental groups, left without protest. The more than 200 delegates from several countries voted overwhelmingly for the restriction, with about 50 abstaining, officials said. The event was organized by various non-governmental organizations.

Oh, wait I seem to have gotten something wrong here. According to This Article, It was a blacks only conference, not a whites only conference. And that makes it all better, right? Familiar enough logic I suppose...

2002-10-03T10:07:00.000-04:00

One of many, I Hope...

Shiloh Butcher has an interesting post on why he/she (Can't tell from the post alone...) is no longer a Democrat.

Over the past few years I have realized that, while the rule of law means a lot to me, it means very little to the Democratic Party. Three years ago, I was so disgusted with how they had protected Clinton that I left the Party. Then, late in 2000, I was so horrifed with their attempts to use the courts to change inconvenient state election laws that I decided to do whatever I could to keep them out of power. And to me, that meant doing the unthinkable-- I became a Republican. So in a way, it's nice to see the New Jersey Democrats confirm that, while my decision might have been hasty and rash, it wasn't wrong. This time control of the Senate is at stake and the "Party of the People" is yet again attempting to use a state supreme court loaded with Democrats to shamelessly keep themselves in power. What kills me is that being a Democrat means never having to pay for a mistake. The New Jersey Democratic Party knew all about the allegations against Torricelli when they nominated him. On the last legal day to change the ballot, they gambled that they had a better chance with Torricelli than with anyone else. Now they suspect they were wrong and want the Court to rule that the Law is not what the legislature votes on and the governor signs. Apparently the Law is whatever suits the Democrats the best at any given moment. But this time, I doubt the US Supreme Court will stop it. Only the good people of New Jersey will be able to do that. They now seem to know a crook when they see one, so maybe there's hope.

2002-10-03T07:48:00.000-04:00

Remember the term "Unilateral"?

Does that mean that the US goes it alone? Or does it mean we are ready and willing to go it alone, but will also wait on our sleepy-headed allies to wake up and smell the coffee? It appears that Germany and Canada are now waking up to the realities of what is going on in Iraq. Think this will shut the Anti-war crowd up? No, probably not. They will probably start decrying the fact that Myanmar, Abu-Dhabi and Luxembourg haven't committed troops. Because as long as there are any countries that haven't sided with the US against Iraq, they will hold those countries up as shining examples of "International Opinion", and ignore those that have decided to work with us.

2002-10-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

Duke Sucks

Need Proof? Look at the jackasses they hire as Professors. To quote an old T-Shirt of mine... "Duck Fuke!"

2002-10-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

Could the UN be Biased against Israel?

Don't answer, Its a rhetorical question... But Meryl Yourish has done an excellent Analysis of UN Security Council resolutions since 1946. As it turns out, 15% of the Resolutions have regarded Israel. I'd be willing to bet that none of the neighboring Arab countries (You know, the ones trying to push the Israelis into the sea!) have gotten anywhere near that kind of attention. I always thought that the UN should have been in Paris, not in New York. After all, aren't the french the ones the proverb "That animal is very bad, when attacked it defends itself"?

2002-10-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

Textbook weight limits

According to UPI, Gray Davis in California is setting Weight Limits on Textbooks. Note, that there is still no limit to the number of textbooks a student can be assigned by all their courses. Why do I get the feeling that this will end up causing students to have to use a larger number of smaller textbooks. I know at one point in Highschool, My backpack was up to about 35-40 pounds, with all my books and notebooks inside. But I'm not certain that this law would help any in the long run.

2002-10-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

Paving roads with good intentions.

According to This Story In the Jerusalem Post, Aids Activists have had shot themselves in the foot. By protesting and making demands that Drug companies give AIDS drugs away for free, they have made the market for AIDS drugs less profitable. Any idea what happens then? According to one Executive quoted in the article:

"we have lost the battle with the activists, and now the market is less profitable. The result is that we are spending less R&D time on anti-retrovirals. Why bother to innovate these products when any advance will not be profitable?"

If you prevent people from making money on their investment (of time, money, intellectual capital, etc.) They will be less likely to do so. Thus all the protesting AIDS Activists have made it LESS likely that a cure or vaccine will be found soon by attacking the companies most likely to bring such a cure onto the market. Article via The Sabertooth Journal.

2002-10-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

Google Goodness, again...

Number 12 result for Diaper Blowout Number 2 for Why Hillbillies and Rednecks hate Bill Clinton. Number 1 for white supremacist symbols independent trucking Strange little combination there....

2002-09-30T18:50:00.000-04:00

Cooter for Congress?

How did I miss this? Cooter from Dukes of Hazzard is running for Congress. I wonder if he has any plans for CB subsidies, or a federal program to strategically place ramps along interstates to alleviate traffic problms, and facilitate lane changes.

2002-09-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

Exhibit 13

The Blue Man Group has created a spectacular tribute to the victims of September 11th. No, it isn't a bunch of silly blue faced guys dancing around or anything. It is a very solemn display of a collection of papers that blew into the Carroll Gardens neighborhood in Brooklyn following the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.

2002-09-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

Pictoral Fisking

If you haven't read this yet, you really should. I know, Instapundit linked to it, but just in case you haven't read it yet, It is definately worth reading.

2002-09-25T22:33:00.000-04:00

A joke I had to pass on...

Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs, and Hillary got $8 million for hers. That’s $20 million for two people who, throughout eight years of investigation, testified repeatedly that they couldn’t remember anything. Via Jay Nordlinger.

2002-09-25T15:57:00.000-04:00

Kids say their parents are a bunch of annoying Hippies.

Well, not Exactly. But they are a lot more conservative than their parents. This really doesn't surprise me at all. The young have seen tha impending failure of Social Security, They have seen the reality of Abortion in their younger Sibling's Ultrasound pictures, they weren't raised in the post-vietnam anti-american slogan chanting days. I don't see much of a reason why they would be as liberal as their parents. And considering that 9/11 came when this survey was mostly completed, I'd be willing to bet that the results underestimate how conservative they will be over time. 9/11 jerked a lot of people rightward, in the classic "A Conservative is a Liberal that has been mugged" manner. For those coming up with this as a huge experience in their formative years, it will probably be more pronounced than it would be for adults.

2002-09-25T14:02:00.000-04:00

Obligatory link

With a blog called Trojan Horseshoes, I absolutely have to link to this one.

Iraq Makes Peace Offering to U.S. and U.N. (2002-09-22) -- The Republic of Iraq, in a move designed the placate talk of war, plans to give a multi-million dollar work of art to the people of the United States of America and to the world. Senator Tom Daschle and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, will receive the gift on behalf of the U.S. and the U.N. in a special ceremony attended by hundreds of foreign dignitaries and the entire U.S. Congress in October in Washington D.C.. The exquisite work, crafted by Iraq's best artisans, is said to be a larger-than-life stylized sculpture of a horse. "I've seen pictures," said Mr. Annan, "and it's quite spectacular. It's about six stories tall, and will actually be transported on wheels into the city." Senator Daschle's spokesman said, "This helps to assure us that Iraq is not a threat to us, nor anyone else. The Senator can't wait to see that gigantic horse statue wheeled right up to the front of the Capitol building." To give some idea of the scale of the sculpture, Daschle's aide said the abdomen of the horse, if it were hollow, could seat about 450 men, with luggage.

2002-09-25T10:57:00.000-04:00

Carnival of the Vanities

Silflay Hraka has started a series of posts called Carnival of the Vanities. In short, bloggers select one of their favorite posts from the last week, and send them in. Bigwig compiles a list of all the submissions (I don't believe there is any selection or editing on his part, but I could be mistaken). Anyway, his first collection is here. There are some good ones in there. Unfortunately, there are some really bad ones in there as well. I had hesitated on commenting on this before, because I didn't want to shoot it down before it got off the ground. The problem really boils down to Sturgeon's Law. "Ninety Percent of everything is crap." And yes, that includes Blog posts. Even the Blog posts self-selected by their authors as really good ones, you are going to have a crappiness percentage way too high to count as any sort of "best of blogdom" collection. The current Blog system where at least two people have to like the post for it to be linked is probably not the best system. But it's a far better system than only needing the Author to like it to have it linked all over. Update: Just so I don't sound overly full of myself, let me clarify one point. 90% of what I write is probably crap as well, even some of the stuff I think is extremely good. I just as bad of a writer and bad at impartially judging my own work as anyone else.

2002-09-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

Can you imagine how much press this would get...

...If Bush had done it? Strange, how so many in the media seem to censor themselves when it comes to criticizing a member of the left.

2002-09-19T12:14:00.000-04:00

Florida's new voting machines!

Via Insignificant Thoughts

2002-09-19T11:03:00.000-04:00

FBI worried about new terrorism tactics.

There are recent FBI warnings about the fact that Al-Qaeda may Use new methods to hijack or bomb airplanes. To tell you the truth, I'm not that worried about this. Yes, Airplanes still remain a target, but Right now, everyone is looking at Airlines and Air safety. In short, they have made the airplane a much, much more difficult target. I'm more afraid that Terrorist groups would target other places, like Stadiums and Daycare Centers or maybe the food/water supply, or a Dam, or something else. Yes, they are homocidal maniacs, but they aren't idiots. There are Hundreds of thousands of good terrorist targets that are not defended as well as Airlines and Airports are right now. Petroleum pipelines or Tank Farms such as the one in Greensboro, NC, Storage or transport mechanisms for Toxic Chemicals, Hospitals, Malls, etc. etc. Right now, I think we are past the point of diminishing returns when it comes to Airline safety. Taking away nail clippers and tweezers isn't doing any good at all. Instyead, we need to make more of an effort at infiltrating and eliminating Terrorist groups, both here and overseas in the countries that fund them.

2002-09-18T12:03:00.000-04:00

No more Tinfoil Hats!

Orbital Mind Control Lasers (Among other things) would be banned under This proposed Bill Link via Instapundit

2002-09-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

The Free Icecream cones will be 20% smaller for the next week

Due to a heavy load at work, Jury Duty and an upcoming vacation, Blogging will likely be sporadic until Monday September 23rd. I'll probably post a bit here and there, but not nearly as much as Normal. Any of the links to the left are good reading, But especially Best of the Web, Instapundit, Lileks and USS Clueless. Make sure to check them out if you don't do so already.

2002-09-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

Jackbooted Liberalism

Doug Bandow at NRO has an excellent article listing civil liberties trampled by the Clinton/Gore Administration. As much as the Bush administration (and particularly Ashcroft) is maligned in the media, I wonder what would happen if they called for even 1/10th of these kind of things. I suppose I've gotten spoiled by typical blogs however. I really, really wish that Bandow had added Links or footnotes, or some other references within his column. Some of the items, like the increased audits of Conservative groups, I'd love to see some documentation on.

2002-09-15T01:22:00.000-04:00

Could the environmentalists please stay out of my bedroom?

Ipse Dixit has a link to a Greenpeace article that will tell us how to have environmentally safe sex.

Are you wondering what more you can do to help the planet? You take your bike to work, eat organic, but want to do more.

Well, actually I drive a pickup truck and eat fast food, but I'll go along with you for discussion's sake.

At long last we have looked into one of humanity’s favourite pastimes and uncovered the passion that can make a difference for our environment. You can be a bomb in bed without nuking the planet.

Frankly, I never knew that having sex was a danger to the environment. Of course, everything else I do is claimed to be a cause for either cancer or pollution, I'm surprised they are just getting around to finishing up their list.

1. Turn off the lights. We all have to do our part to stop climate change, energy reduction and energy efficiency are a important part of changing our energy culture. If you want to see your partner, or what you are doing, have sex during the day.

Well, from their point of view, I can understand this. I mean, honestly... Have you seen the typical Hippies who would listen to Greenpeace? I'd probably want to turn off the lights too if I were in their place. Hmm. I wonder how much electricity the Greenpeace webservers use anyway...

2. Passion for fruit? If you like to use produce to get the blood boiling, make sure it is GE-free. There have not been enough studies on genetically engineered foods to know what the effects on our diets will be, let alone the affects of using it for more intimate activities.

And more importantly, make sure that you pressure third world governments to turn down donations of Genetically Modified corn Even if it means starving several thousand people.

3.Oysters and other shellfish can be potent aphrodisiacs, but our oceans are being destroyed at an unprecedented rate - we need to stop plundering for pleasure. Instead you can support sustainable community-based operations in the Amazon rainforest choosing from two popular and plentiful herbal and fruit drinks, guaraná and caju, for more than just a clean conscious.

I personally prefer ground Tiger Bone and Rhino Horn.

4. Is your yard a safe place to do the deed? Forget about the nosy neighbours, are you using pesticides and chemical fertilisers on your lawn and garden? Would you really want to set your bare bottom on weed killer? Make the switch to natural fertilisers and pest management, and take a roll in the hay.

Yeah, having to spray fertilizer and weedkiller all the time was such a drag, I just paved the whole thing. But let me warn you, asphalt burn is much worse than rugburn.

5. Forget the fossil fuel based lubricants like petroleum jelly! Esso's screwing the planet, but you don't have to.

Am I the only one that skips straight over petroleum jelly and uses good old WD-40? I say if it's good enough for the garage, Its good enough for the bedroom. (The same rule applies to Duct Tape.)

6. Have you got something more than a good time up your sleeve. Could it be polyvinyl chloride? Ditch the PVC and vinyl accessories for your playtime. The production of PVC creates and releases one of the most toxic chemicals - dioxin. You also don’t want to be sucking on that stuff. The use of PVC in young children’s toys has already been banned in many countries. Instead, opt for accessories made from natural substances like rubber or leather.

Well, Ipsedixit (Who I originally got the link from) pointed out the fact that Eco-Gurus Ben and Jerry sell icecream chock-full of Dioxin all day long, and it doesn't seem to hurt their customers much at all. And aren't Rubber Tree plantations and Use of Animal products(leather) bad for the environment? PETA would be pissed at you for suggesting the use of leather.

7. Helping the planet can be an arousing activity. Soap up together in the shower or bath to save water and create passion for more than the environment. More than one billion people do not have access to clean water, it is a luxury, and should definitely be shared with a friend.

In a shower with soemone else, I'd be willing to bet that people will be likely to stay in there longer, using more water than two separate showers.

8. Ok, I’m not sure what you would use them for, never done so myself, ahem, but if you wanted some paddles for something other than rowing, please, for god’s sake, make sure they are made from sustainably harvested timber. Look for timber, paddles, whatever, certified by the only internationally recognised ecological forest certification organisation, the Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC.

Actually, I use a paddle made of old-growth lumber from the Pacific Northwest. Just think, a Spotted Owl gave up its home just for my paddle.

9. Role playing games can be fun as long as both partners are consenting and comfortable with the boundaries. So if you and your partner want to dress up and play "George Bush and Corporate America at the Earth Summit" or other S&M style games, agree on what's permissible and what's not up front. And remember that games - like fantasies - are not real life.

Why would we want to play a game like that? The Bush administration basically said a Giant F*** You to the envirodoodles at the earth summit, and Neither my wife or I like to start argments like that between each other.

10. Make love, not war.

Well, War would be one way to solve that pesky Overpopulation Crisis you environmentalists are always whining about. I'm pretty sure that having a lot of sex is probably likely to add a few more people. But then, nobody ever accused the environmentalists of being logical OR consistent.

2002-09-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

However unlikely it is...

...there is at least a small statistical chance that some of you don't read Lileks Bleats every day. Even so, You can't miss this one.

I’ve been reading reactions to the President’s UN speech, and I’m amused at how people don’t seem to get it. Oh, now he’s being a multilateralist? Now he believes in the UN? No. That speech was the equivalent of that fabled kung-fu move that removes your opponent's heart and shows it to you, just before you crumple. It’s of a piece with the administration’s behavior since 9/11: Let all the carpers and obstructionists gather on the tip of the thinnest branch, then show up with a saw and announce they have five minutes to come hug the trunk, which incidentally is covered with sap and stinging ants. It was sheer malicious brilliance to cast the entire case in terms of UN resolutions, because it mean the UN had to chose: either those resolutions mean something, or the UN means nothing. Why, it's almost as if the UN painted itself into a corner - and woke up to find this rude simple cowboy holding the brush. How the hell did he do that?

2002-09-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

The United States of Mars?

Instapundit gives a good reason for letting private enterprise explore/colonize mars.

2002-09-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Aaaahhhh!!!

What do you get when you combine Swamp Thing, Godzilla, and some mood music? Kudzilla! Link via Fark.

2002-09-13T08:33:00.000-04:00

Iraq is not a threat

After all, even if they were developing nuclear weapons, (John Ritter says they are. Wait, then he says they aren't.) We are obviously out of range of their missiles, right?. What's the worst that could happen? Update: Asparagirl has more information on the nuclear cargo ship..

2002-09-13T08:16:00.000-04:00

And they said a vote for Nader was a wasted vote!

It appears that Cynthia McKinney may be running for president on the Green party ticket. You know, the same wacko who accused Bush of plotting the September 11th attacks, the same wacko who snuggled up to Saudi princes after Giuliani criticized their statements about how the US deserved terrorist attacks, the same one who constantly blames everything on a jewish conspiracy against her... Yep, She wants to be President.

2002-09-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

Prior Knowledge of Sept. 11

I'm not sure what to think about this, but I do think it might be worth additional investigation by some law enforcement personnel. Prior Knowledge of Sept. 11 Not Just Urban Legend

"What are you looking at?" asked the schoolteacher as she approached one of her freshman students. The boy, a young Palestinian, seemed captivated as he stared out the window across Brooklyn toward the lower downtown area of Manhattan. "Do you see those two buildings?" he asked while pointing toward the World Trade Center. "They won't be standing there next week." It was noon, Sept. 6, 2001. Antoinette DiLorenzo didn't take her student's comment all too seriously. Of course the twin towers would be there next week, she assured him. The student shook his head and reiterated his prediction until his 15-year old brother, a sophomore, elbowed him and told him to be quiet. "He's just kidding," the older boy said politely. Five days later at 8:45 a.m., DiLorenzo heard a loud explosion from the north. Thunderstruck, she turned to the window and eventually watched both towers collapse into shattered glass and crumbled steel.

Link viaStuart Buck.

2002-09-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

Who saw this one coming?

Democrats to Blame Florida Voting problems on GOP Keep in mind, This isn't the 2000 election. Nope, this is for the 2002 Election. Specifically, the Democratic primary of the 2002 election. Run by Democrats, in Primarily Democrat-majority counties. But sure, Blame it on Jeb Bush. That makes jsut perfect sense. Well, more sense than their idea that we can stop terrorism by asking the UN nicely.

2002-09-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

Hurrah for the Second Amendment!

Iraq Says Will Repel Any Attack with Knives, Stones Maybe this is why it went so easily the first time, if they are having to use sticks and knives to defend themselves. Wow, those Kuwaitis must have been real wimps. Link via Possumblog.

2002-09-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

Now this is something to make you sick

9/11 aid bill contains giant bonus for trial lawyers

Sacramento -- Saying that it was primarily a bill to help families of Sept. 11 victims, Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday signed a sweeping change in California tort law backed by trial lawyers, some of his biggest contributors. In a bill signing ceremony, the Democratic governor focused on only four paragraphs of the seven-page bill that allows relatives of the terrorist attacks more time to file civil lawsuits. Davis did not mention that the bulk of the bill -- which extends from one year to two the filing period for all personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits in California -- is opposed by more than 80 companies and business groups. They say the measure will sharply increase their insurance and litigation costs.

Link via Overlawyered

2002-09-10T21:25:00.000-04:00

Never forget

2002-09-10T14:03:00.000-04:00

After Iraq...

I really hope we liberate These guys from the despotic rulers they are trapped under.

Now, with the first anniversary of 9/11 tragedy upon us, as [the Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran] expresses its sympathy to the families of the victims and survivors of that ungodly event, and the honorable nation of America; it invites all free spirited Iranians to honor the memory of the victims of that day by gathering and lighting a candle in front of the main entrance of the Tehran university and major public squares in Tehran, and the main squares in other cities and townships, from 6:00 PM till 9:00 PM, on Wednesday 11 September.

Now why can't we get the French or the Germans to support us like this?

2002-09-10T13:47:00.000-04:00

Military Artwork?

Link via Vodkapundit.

2002-09-10T11:18:00.000-04:00

Silence and Respect

I have been thinking of the proper way to handle what I say on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I had been tempted to do a few different things, and then I realized that I was neither eloquent or gifted enough to do the subject justice. Then I ran across Sasha Castel's Post about her plans to do the same thing. (Sorry, no permalink: Blogger archive bug strikes again) I am reminded of something Dave Barry mentioned in his column entitled On Hallowed Ground. He reminds us that in Gettysburg Cemetary, there is a sign at the entrance reading "SILENCE AND RESPECT". And that is probably the most appropriate tribute I can do on this page. I will be posting some more later today, but as for the 11th itself, I think I may just keep my mouth shut, go pray at church and spnd some time with my family. You can call it the "Moment of Silence" bandwagon I suppose. Whatever it is, I think I agree with Sasha.

Frankly, it would be beyond my abilities as a writer to put my feelings about 9/11 into words. So I won't even try. Starting tomorrow, this blog will observe a day of silence.

2002-09-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

There is no military solution to terrorism?

This will be news to the Israelis, who have eliminated 98% of Hamas' Military wing. Link via LGF

2002-09-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

Masters of bad PR

Well, It appears the Saudis have managed to do it again. After the whole "15 of the 19", and their promotion of hate-filled wahhabism around the world, you would think they had done enough to look bad in our eyes. Funding terrorists, etc. etc. So then, they went and bought themselves a PR campaign. It didn't work that well, but at least it showed a sign that they realized that perhaps they need to try and get on our good side. But then, It appears they didn't run this one by their PR firm... (link via Insignificant Thoughts.)

RIYADH, 10 September — Saudi Arabia has given the go-ahead to a big business team to visit Baghdad for the first time since the two countries broke ties over Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait 12 years ago, an official said yesterday. Major Saudi firms plan to take part in Baghdad’s main trade fair in November as the two countries expand trade ties, said Ibrahim Foudah, executive director of the Saudi Exports Centre. “We have received confirmed bookings from 45 Saudi firms to participate and we expect the number to reach at least 60 to 70 firms,” Foudah said. The Saudi products and services to be promoted in the fair include construction, food, pipeline and electrical goods, the official said. Iraqi officials in recent months have expressed hopes of normalized ties with Saudi Arabia. Both countries see growing commercial ties paving the way for resumption of diplomatic ties, diplomats say.

Just a hint for you. If you want to be on the US's good side, don't suddenly start cuddling up to a country which we are about to invade. Especially one which you begged us to come and protect you from a decade ago. We spent millions of dollars, and more importantly, US lives defending your pile of sand from the maniac running Iraq just over a decade ago. And now, when we are about to confront him again(Which we should have finished the first time!) You decide to go make friends with him?) I'm seriously starting to wonder why there wasn't a 4th country in the Axis of Evil.

2002-09-10T09:14:00.000-04:00

Conspiracy time!

Over at Silflay Hraka, Bigwig posts a very intersting piece, with a theory about why France and Iraq are so interested in keeping the US out of Iraq. The core point is that it may uncover some wrongdoing by France and/or Germany, in relation to assisting Iraq's nuclear program. Toward the end of his post, he goes off into conspiracy wacko la-la land, with discussion of an eventual Arab/EU coalition to create a second superpower and challenge the US, but up until that point he seems like he might just be onto something.

2002-09-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

Where can I buy one of these?

I'm getting very sick of the drought, and all the water restrictions, etc. associated with it. But it appears that the Russians have a solution.

A day after acrid smoke from forest and peat fires blanketed Moscow, a light rain Friday cleared the air — and the government claimed the credit. The Emergency Situations Ministry said it drew rain clouds to the smog-shrouded capital and created showers by switching on a cube-shaped piece of equipment, 3 feet on each side, that sits atop a ministry building in western Moscow.

2002-09-09T14:01:00.000-04:00

A Must Read

From Vodka Pundit:

This next week will reveal much about whether the United States will remain a vital, important nation. Vital nations defend their citizens. Vital nations defend their borders. Vital nations crush their self-declared enemies. Important nations act with or without help from their friends. Important nations maintain a global reach. Important nations are feared, respected, and rarely trifled with. We can't go on letting barbarians kill our people. We can either wage and win this war in our enemies' lands and (eventually) hearts and minds, or we can simply defend ourselves at home. If we fight and win, we carry American values past our shores, and liberate trampled lands. If we retreat behind our borders and play defense, then we'll lose our American values -- freedom, privacy, trade -- in the attempt to make ourselves safe. As a nation, we could probably become safe and neutral as Switzerland -- just with a bigger, fascist Army, and strip searches to get into the Post Office. But as a people, we could never accept the retreat and humiliation. We can fight them there, or fight ourselves here. The choice is that stark. The outcomes are that drastic. It comes down to oppressive homeland security, or bashing the bad guys until they cry uncle. Will George W. Bush have what it takes to sell this war to Congress? Will Congress cut off the Executive -- and our futures -- at the knees? Will we kowtow to the sickly, hypocritical creatures who make up the United Nations Security Council? I don't know. Neither do you. You do know where I stand. I think you know the stakes. Over the next two days, you'll be tempted by the media to first wallow in national pity, then to "get closure" with the events of 9/11/2001. Don't wallow -- wallowing is the first step to surrender. Don't ask for closure with the attacks -- demand victory over our attackers. Spend the next two days writing your Congressman and your Senators. Send a letter of support to the White House and the State Department. Act. Speak. Lend some backbone to those who might need it in the coming days and weeks. It's that important.

2002-09-09T08:17:00.000-04:00

Google Goodness

Number 7 in a google search for Redneck in Saudi. Sounds like a good action-adventure movie. I'm imagining some giant monster truck with a rebel flag and a Gun rack cresting a dune in the desert. Suddenly, you hear a Good rebel yell "YEEEEE-HAW!!!" as they gun the engine, headed for Riyahd, with a truck bed full of ammunition. Also, I'm the only result for "Hunger and September 11th"

2002-09-09T07:41:00.000-04:00

Strange things with local elections...

Well, I found out that my neighborhood must be right on the line for NC house districts. If you aren't familiar with NC politics lately, lets just say that the 2000 redistricting turned into a major train wreck. Thus, we have the new, improved 2002 redistricting. Unfortunately, it appears that not all the kinks have been worked out yet. My next door neighbor on one side votes at the walkertown library precinct, and will be voting in the 94th NC house district. Same goes for the neigbor on the other side, and the one across the street. You would think that I would be registered to vote at the same precinct, right? Well, somehow, I don't. I vote at the Belews Creek fire station instead, about 6 miles away. And I'll be voting in the 66th NC house district, as will my wife. In the NC Board of Elections website, I went up and down my road, seeing where each person votes, and it appears to be split about 2/3 to the walkertown precinct, 1/3 to the Belews Creek Precinct, in no particular order at all. It looks like florida isn't the only place that doesn't know how to run an election. Update: It appears that two variant spellings of my Street are in their Database. One of them is with an E, the other uses an A. All of the people on the "A" street are in one precinct and NC house district, while the ones on the "E" street are in another precinct and NC house district.

2002-09-08T09:23:00.000-04:00

Might makes right?

In discussing the impending war against Iraq, A left-leaning person I know used the argument: "And I suppose might makes right?" as an attempt to point out a flaw in the justification for invading Iraq. And I realized that this ends up being a central point in Leftist thought, the idea that "Might makes right" is wrong. Case in point, The US has the might to take out Saddam in Iraq. Their argument is that this might does not give us the right to do so. And I suppose I can agree with them on that, to that point. The ability to perform an action does not mean that this actions should be performed. I think both sides of the aisle can pretty much agree on that. The problem is that the left carries this a couple of steps further. Rather than "Might doesn't make right", they have gone onto the false converse statements "Might makes Wrong" and "Weakness makes Right". And when you get down to it, this explains a lot, from kneejerk "blame america" sentiments, to the victim culture in the US today. The left sees those who have power as inherently wrong, no matter what they do. Take for example: White Males, the US, Heterosexuals, Israel, Christianity, etc. etc. All of these groups (and many more) are considered as inherently flawed by the left. Not because they have misused any amount of power, but because simply because they have the power itself. Similarly, those viewed as powerless are never accused of being wrong by the left. For example... Palestenians, Racial minorities, any religions other than Christianity, Women, third world countries, etc. etc. are viewed with rose colored glasses. Palestenian bombers kill 12 in a pizza parlor, but we can't criticize them, because they are opposed by the powerful (and therefore evil) Israelis. A black mob beats Reginald Denny within an inch of his life, but that is understandable. Because the members of the black mob have no power, their actions are perfectly excusable. I know, there are probably some cases where this does not apply. But as a good rule of thumb, I think it applies to a large number of them. Just remember, the left assumes that "might makes wrong", and "weakness makes right". I wonder if that is why they seem to like the UN so much? When I think of impotent powerless organizations, the UN is always one of the first to come to mind.

2002-09-06T14:49:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't it be great if...

Joe Lieberman would make up his mind? Link via The Spoons Experience.

2002-09-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

Religion and the law of non-contradiction

Stuart Buck has an excellent piece about the idea that "All religions are equally true"

Part of the problem, I think, is due to our intellectual fogginess over simple matters of truth and logic. Take the most basic principle of logic: The law of non-contradiction. A and not-A can't both be true at the same time. Pretty basic, huh? Not when it comes to religion, where a lot of people seem to have no problem saying that mutually inconsistent religions are equally true. Take Christianity, the religion I know best. The most basic, foundational belief of Christianity is the belief that Christ was God. If Christ was God, then by the law of non-contradiction, it is false to say that Christ was not God. And that in turn means that any religion that denies that Christ was God is, to that extent (though perhaps no more), false. Conversely, if Christ was not God, then every other religion is correct in denying that Christ was God, and Christianity itself is one giant hoax. The point is, either Christ was God or he wasn't, and as various religions point to completely opposite conclusions on that question, they cannot possibly all be equally valid. One can extend this analysis to numerous other questions on which various religions take opposite views. Thus, it is impossible for any genuine Christian who is aware of the laws of logic to say, "All other religions are just as good as mine." They might all be good religions in every other respect, but they're flat wrong on at least one question, if Christ really was God. On the other hand, it's impossible for any genuine adherent to a non-Christian religion who is aware of the laws of logic to say, "Christianity is just as good as my religion." It's not, if Christ really wasn't God. Yet, depressingly, one finds people all the time who do say such things. One can only conclude that they 1) don't really believe their professed religion, not really, or 2) are not aware of the law of non-contradiction.

Now mind you, this isn't the same as proving any one particular religion is true. But it does point out a huge gaping hole in the idea that each person should treat all religious belief systems as equally true.

2002-09-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

Why should we care about the UN?

It appears the Germans don't care too much about the UN.

[Germany's Chancellor Gerhard] Schroeder, who faces a battle for re-election in two weeks' time, now says he would oppose military action, even if the UN Security Council were to give its backing to the use of force.

Why exactly should we be so worried about proving our case to the UN, if that still wouldn't yield any support by European countries.

2002-09-06T14:14:00.000-04:00

Pollution free engines?

Gasoline engines now in production can be nearly pollution-free, a California university engineering laboratory reports after three years of study. The finding suggests Americans can enjoy much cleaner air without the high price of electric cars. (Related story: Superclean engines just as fast and fuel-efficient) "You won't get to zero (emissions), but you will get pretty close," says Joseph Norbeck, director of the facility that performed the challenging tests at the University of California-Riverside.

This could be very, very interesting down the road. Of course, the main thing I'm looking forward to is hearing the environmentalists whine less.

2002-09-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

Best Quote Ever

From Silflay Hraka:

Screw the U.N. and the magnificent horse that we paid for that it rode in on.

2002-09-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

How to be a good Anti-American

Sasha Castel points us to a great post at Whackingday.

TIP #3: The United Nations This is your big stick of Legitimacy. This fine body is here to serve as a brake on those wild, stupid, warmongering Americans. It shall be held up as an enlightened, sober group of liberal intellectuals who serve freedom, human rights and the brotherhood of man. UN doctrine and policy will almost always run contrary to that of the USA. As the UN are the enlightened, clever, level-headed ones. You can use this as your whacking stick. Of course, some might protest that the UN is at best a useless, cowardly bureaucratic monolith and at worst a dangerous, obstructionist propaganda mouthpiece for every scumbag and tyrant on the planet, and that friendly mass-murderer Colonel Ghaddafi has been appointed head of their human rights body. But you can ignore them. This is the United Nations after all, and they are the good guys. They will look after the world and protect us against these rampaging american scum.

Read all 9 rules of being a good anti-american here.

2002-09-05T13:16:00.000-04:00

Rebuilding the fallacies of September 10th

Mark Steyn in the Spectator:

The change that occurred on 11 September was a simple one. When Osama bin Laden blew up the World Trade Center, he also blew up the polite fictions of the pre-war world. At Ground Zero, they've been working frantically to clear away the rubble. Likewise, at the UN, EU and all the rest, they've also been working frantically not so much to clear away the mess but to stick it back together and reconstruct the great fantasy world as it existed on 10 September, that bizarro make-believe land where Nato is a 'mutual defence alliance' and Egypt and Saudi Arabia are 'our staunch friends'. Even in America, some people are still living in that world. You can switch on the TV and hear apparently sane 'experts' using phrases like 'Bush risks losing the support of the Arab League'.

Link via Tim Blair.

2002-09-05T10:06:00.000-04:00

Faster, Please!

Bush considers plan to arm pilots. Why hasn't this already been done? Link via The corner at NRO.

2002-09-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

Media bias? What media bias?

Great caption here by Reuters...

Recovery and debris removal work continues at the site of the World Trade Center known as "ground zero" in New York, March 25, 2002. Human rights around the world have been a casualty of the U.S. "war on terror" since September 11.

Still think all us conservatives are just crying wolf when we mention media bias? Reuters isn't the only one, but they are hands down the worst, while still proclaiming themselves to be neutral and unbiased.

2002-09-04T12:45:00.000-04:00

Blast from the past...

In all the discussion about the "Real Beverly Hillbillies", I remembered an editorial I wrote for the student newspaper my freshman year at Wake Forest. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it online, but I decided to retype it here for your reading enjoyment...

I recently received a very interesting letter from Bubba, a friend of mine at a college in New England. In this letter, he brings up an important topic I should share with all of you:

Howdy! What's going on at Wake Forest? Do you remember that course in American minority cultures that I had to take this semester? Anyway, our class went over the characteristics of an oppressed minority group. I realized that I could be covered in these characteristics. I'm white, male, heterosexual and just about everything else that counts as being unoppressed. So how can I be part of an oppressed minority? I'm a full-fledged, 100 percent redneck. Just read these characteristics and see if they fit. 1) Is denied access to power, wealth or prestige. It would be difficult for a redneck to have power, wealth and prestige before we all get indoor plumbing. Well, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore may have these three, but I hardly consider them rednecks. Besides, how many rednecks would be willing to stoop to politics to get power? Rednecks don't have 10 or 12 cars like those Hollywood stars do. Well, I think bobby Clodfelter back home in Kernersville does, but all of his are up on blocks in his front yard. 2) Suffers various forms of disadvantages at the hands of the majority. Well, think of how many redneck jokes you have heard before. Now just imagine the outrage if this many jokes were told about other groups, such as the disabled or certain races. But since these are redneck jokes, no one minds. Surely, this is an example of being at a disadvantage. 3) May have social characteristics which are used to label him or her. Well off the top of my head I can think of country music, chewing tobacco, my southern drawl, a tendency to drive pickup trucks... Need I say more? 4) Is placed in the group involuntarily. Well, you can't really take the country out of a redneck, even If he or she wants to change. Just suppose I sold my flannel shirts, my pickup truck and my moonshine still. What could I do then? I wouldn't have enough money to move to New jersey, wear a polo shirt, buy a Mercedes and pay for bottled water. Most rednecks couldn't change if they had to. 5) Tends to marry within his or her own group. Heck, most rednecks go one further than that and marry within their own family. 'Nuff said. Well, maybe we can get some kind of special treatment by Congress now. Hey, Richard Petty is free now. I wonder if the NASCAR fans could talk the King into running for Congress to represent redneck rights? Hey, maybe we could lobby for a quota system for colleges and then Jim-Bob and Junior could get into a real college instead of going to trucking school like their older sister. Well, you get the point. By the way, since you are down there near RJR, could you buy me some chewing tobacco? Nobody up here in the north knows what I'm talking about when I ask for it. Well, I'll see you this summer. Bubba

After reading this letter, I was caught by uncontrollable fits of laughter. The only scary part is that Bubba was trying to be serious. I guess he doesn't realize how absurd his statements are. But, he has the information to support these claims of injustice jsut as well as other groups have done to justify special treatment. Maybe redneck rights aren't all that far-fetched. They are no more absurd than the special privleges of other groups that already get special treatment.

Anyway, its not exactly my best piece of writing ever, but I thought it was worth bringing it back one more time. Maybe I'll put it out again in another 10 years.

2002-09-04T10:52:00.000-04:00

It's about time!

Acording to the Jerusalem Post, the FBI is finally considering the LAX shooting a Terrorist act. Hmmm. An Islamic man of Middle Eastern descent, armed with multiple weapons goes into an airport, and guns down people at the counter of El-Al, an Israeli Airline (Read as: a group of people very likely to be Jewish) Terrorism? Really? You think so?

2002-09-03T15:02:00.000-04:00

And you thought YOU were boring!

Hello! Welcome to the Swingline Owner's Club Web Page! I'm Lionel Simca, and, as you are probably aware, I am an avid amateur staplist and a collector of classic Swingline staplers. I started the Swingline Owners Club (SOC) here in Chapel Hill, NC, and, though the Swingline parent company won't publically or privately acknowledge our existance, I take their hostile silence and the restraining orders sent by several of their key executives as a silent but forceful nod of approval of my organization.

Two questions: 1) Isn't there something a little bit more interesting to do in Chapel Hill? For goodness sake, Its a colege town with thousands of shops, and all kinds of stuff to do on Franklin Street. 2) I wonder if he knows Milton from Office Space. (Sadly, that is a link to "Virtualstapler.com". I'm not sure which site is more sad, although virtual stapler does have nicer graphics and web design.) Original link via Fark, the second one was via google search.

2002-09-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

What revolution are You?
Made by altern_active Test via PejmanPundit

2002-09-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

Kuwait: Gateway to Iraq?

Little Green Footballs Has a link to a piece in the Telegraph.

Kuwait became the first Arab state yesterday to signal support for a US-led military coalition against Iraq, in marked contrast to the caution shown by other countries in the region. The Kuwaiti foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Salem al-Sabah, told The Telegraph: "While Saddam Hussein continues to keep Kuwaiti prisoners of war, and continues to televise threats against Kuwait, we consider the war against Iraq to have never ended."... A Kuwaiti government official said: "If America asks for support Kuwait will give it. I expect the same response from all Gulf states. There may be the need publicly to be anti-war, but under-the-table deals are being struck."

In Addition, USS Clueless has a link to an ABC Article about Kuwait buying Longbow Apaches from the US.

Why is this significant? It means that Kuwait is cooperating with American plans for an attack on Iraq. This is part of their reward. And it also means they'll have to continue cooperating, because they won't get those helicopters until long after we've fought that war. ...[Y]ou have to be friends with the US, or else your flow of spare parts will be cut off and your equipment will become progressively more and more useless. This is one of the big forms of persuasion and influence we have in the region, and it's not often given the credit it deserves. If any of the Arab nations which have huge forces of American military equipment ever totally alienate us, their military power will begin to degrade. (Which is one of the big reasons that the government of Saudi Arabia continues to push the rhetoric about how good of friends they and we are.) On the other side of the coin, most of the ones who have decided to remain friendly would like to keep buying new equipment from us, and we can use that as part of negotiations on other issues, or to reward cooperation.

This could be very interesting. We should keep an eye out for asimilar announcement from Turkey. Combine those two for staging areas for ground troops, with some of our airbases being built elsewhere in the region, and this could get very interesting. And don't forget, we already have a lot of heavy equipment stored in Kuwait. All we need to do is send troops and supplies into Kuwait, which is a lot easier than sending in the tanks, artillery, etc.

2002-09-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

Strange Referral log entries...

jews+law+spay+neuter I really don't want to know what some of these people are looking for. copenhagen+where+to+find+hooker+at+night I think I DO know what this person is looking for. environmentalist+idiots Shouldn't PETA be up there somewhere above me in the search? Hey, that would be a great blogoshpere project. A Googlebomb that makes PETA the first result returned in a search for Environmentalist Idiots. Any other Bloggers willing to help?

2002-09-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

Iraq, then Lebanon?

Woundwart at Silflay Hraka seems to think that Lebanon should be the next target in the war on terror due to this item from AP.

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI .c The Associated Press JERUSALEM (Sept. 2) - Nearly 200 al-Qaida operatives, including several senior commanders, have settled in Lebanon with Syria's permission, taking refuge in a large Palestinian refugee camp there, an Israeli newspaper reported Monday. A source in Jerusalem, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report, saying the information comes from Israeli and Western intelligence agencies. A Lebanese security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied al-Qaida members were in the refugee camp, saying 10 to 15 Islamic militants are hiding from authorities in the camp. The militants were involved in clashes in which nine Lebanese soldiers were killed. Zeev Schiff, a prominent Israeli journalist who covers the military, reported in Haaretz daily that Damascus has allowed between 150 and 200 al-Qaida operatives to settle in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh, near the Lebanese coastal town of Sidon.

I personally doubt it. By the time we get done in Iraq, many other terrorist-harboring countires will be rethinking their stance. When we actually show the Middle East that we do indeed mean business, I imagine that some of the other countries near Iraq may be saying "Terrorists? Really? Sure, you go right ahead, and take them out, we will be glad to help. Please don't think you would need to have a regime change here as well."

2002-08-31T07:12:00.000-04:00

Gone Fishin'

I'm headed out of town for the weekend either later today, or first thing sunday morning. Posting will be light to nonexistent until Tuesday. See you then!

2002-08-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

Harvard Magazine Runs article: "Abolish the Black Race"

The goal of abolishing the black race is on its face so desirable that some may find it hard to believe that it could incur any opposition...

It is hard to believe that in this day and age, that any University would allow their literature to be used for such hate filled, racist Rhetoric. Partiularly a University with the reputation that Harvard has. Oh, wait... Did I say Black up there? That should read "Abolish the White Race". Suddenly, I bet it doesn't sound nearly so objectionable to many. And that, to me is one of the saddest parts.

2002-08-30T13:43:00.000-04:00

More on "The Real Beverly Hillbillies"

Rod Dreher has some great insights:

How charming. Ship the toothless poor white trash in from Appalachia, set them down amid immense luxury, and watch the dopes make inadvertent fools of themselves in front of the rich and beautiful. The Real Beverly Hillbillies they're calling it. Some fun that'll be. Yes sir, southern white people — the kind who tend to own guns, believe in God, love their country and vote Republican — are Hollywood's niggers.

Follow the above link for more. It's a great read. Update: Rod Also links to a great site called Whigging Out. In there, another Jewish Southerner has an excellent piece about the whole beverly Hillbillies fiasco (Scroll down jsut a bit, no direct links.) A snippet of his Post...

You simply do not have, remaining in the land, a more real group of people who don't really give a damn what others think. The true Southerner knows well how others view him, and yet he never sets about looking for "leaders" and apologists to run onto TV and shame everyone for their mean-spiritedness. It has always been a sign of confidence and pride, or so I've taken it, that the Southerner lets the Northerner, or other elite types, pummel him repeatedly without recourse to the tiresome props of the victim. And thank God for that. The amusing part of all of this is that the Southerner knows how right he is in many ways. The things that seem simple and small and infuriating to them city slickers always winds up winning and enduring in the end. And the elite types, many of them know this too. Some of the Northerners and snooty people I have known spy these facts deep down and darkly in their hearts, and it gives them a profound respect for this stubborn Southern culture that wont go away despite the endless drubbings and "education" they attempt to provide for them on TV and in public schools.

Anyway, I have Blogrolled his site. It is definately one worth going back to.

2002-08-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

You've got Laundry!

Well, Other Internet connected devices are old news. We have Online Coke machines, Interactive Model Railroads and Urinals with their own IP address. What's next? Washer and Dryers.

The system, called eSuds and developed by IBM and USA Technologies, lets students swipe a credit card or punch a code into their mobile phones to pay for washing or drying their clothes instead of scrounging in backpacks and desk drawers for change. The souped-up washers and dryers also let students check a website for empty machines. From the comfort of their desktop or laptop, students can add soap and fabric softener that is dispensed by the washing machine. Finally when the wash is done, they can be sent an e-mail telling them to come and get it.

Link Via Fark.

2002-08-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

The Insta-flood is dying off

Take a peek at my Site Stats Graph, and see if you can tell which day I was that I got a link from Instapundit. It doubled (and almost tripled) the total number of Visits on my hit counter. Not just visits per day, but all time visits. If I was making any money off this, I'd send Glenn Reynolds a fruit basket or something.

2002-08-30T09:28:00.000-04:00

Tilting at Windmills, part II

Thanks to Stewart Buck, I found out that Michael Newdow is back in the news again. You know, the same guy who brought us the whole Pledge of Allegiance Controversy? The same guy who filed a suit on behalf of his daughter, trying to ban the Pledge, When as it turns out, he has no custody of his daughter, and she is a Christian, who has no problem at all with the Pledge, "Under God" and all... Well, Now he wants to ban Congressional Chaplains. What's next? Perhaps we could pave over Arlington National Cemetery. After all, all those religious symbols on the gravestones and religious funeral services constantly being held there. Nope, can't have that type of behavior going on, can we?

2002-08-30T08:25:00.000-04:00

Tilting at windmills search engines

Nick Danger talks about a Salon Interview with some wingnut on a crusade to stop Google. How a webmaster can dislike google is beyond me. To the Geek set, Google is the cyber equivalent of "Mom and Apple Pie". Every techie type I know of ~~likes~~ Loves Google, and wonders how we ever lived without it...

2002-08-30T08:10:00.000-04:00

Submarine could prove US started Pearl Harbor

From the Independent.

An accidental discovery on the seabed could provide proof that an American sailor, not a Japanese pilot, fired the first shot in the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 that launched the Pacific War.

Well, the recent trend is to blame the US for everything from Global warming, world hunger, and September 11th.(you know, the whole "root causes" babbling...) Why not blame the US for Pearl Harbor as well. Link via Midwest Conservative Journal.

2002-08-29T17:55:00.000-04:00

The Jewish Hillbilly community speaks up

John Rosenberg at Discriminations agrees with my take on the possibility of the Beverly Hillbillies Reality Show. I've got to admit, he is definately the first person I know of who claimes to be a Jewish Hick. Growing up, I knew Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Asians all who would consider themselves Hicks/Rednecks/Etc. You know, Country Music, Pickup Trucks, Chewing Tobacco, etc. etc. Hmmm. Now maybe we should start giving Shotguns and hunting Dogs to some Pacific Islanders and Norweigians...

2002-08-29T15:53:00.000-04:00

France finally agrees to shut its piehole!

The new center-right French government has decided to stop criticizing American war planning against Saddam Hussein and instead maximize its leverage with the United States by stressing areas of agreement, according to senior French officials.

Well, It's about time.

The move may also help protect France's national interests in Iraq, including its oil trade, should the United States wage war and win, [French] officials said. The tonal shift does not mean that France has suddenly embraced the American position that a military campaign to oust President Saddam Hussein of Iraq from power is justifiable and perhaps necessary. Rather, Mr. Chirac and Mr. de Villepin have come to the conclusion that it is wiser to present France as an active, strategic partner of the United States and to keep quiet about specific policy differences.

In short, the French are scared to death that they have become irrelevant. No amount of whining and moaning by a bunch of Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys is going to stop us. Since they can't stop us, they are going to get on board, in hopes of having some influence in the way that a Post-Saddam Iraqi government. My hope is that after the War, The free people of Iraq remember how the French (among others) coddled and appeased Saddam. I can guarantee that the people under his thumb hate him more than those of us in the US do, and with any luck, the Iraqis will hold a long term grudge against those countries who encouraged the US to let Saddam keep his boot-heel on the neck of the Iraqi civilians. Likewise, they will probably be pretty darn greatful for the people who throw Saddam out, in the same way that Afghanistan Civilians cheered US troops for forcibly removing the Taliban from power.

2002-08-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

Numerophobes unite!

That is, People who are irrationally frightened by numbers.

Apparently, Joseph Rodriguez has a serious problem with the number 88.

He has called for Target to remove all clothing with the number 88, because somewhere, somehow, a white supremacist used the number. Even though 99.99% of people haven't the slightest clue that 88 is some sort of racist slogan, Target is pulling the items out of their store.

In related News, George Lucas has digitally removed IG-88 from the next Star Wars DVD release, Dale Jarrett is being protested at Nascar racetracks and Boy Scout Troop 88 in Princeton, NJ has been forced to close.

Also, Posession of Radium, 88th element on the Periodic table, has been outlawed. Because of Its radioactivity and obvious Racist leanings, it is a sure sign that White Supremacist terror is on the rise. Tom Ridge is undoubtedly planning a press conference. (Original Link via Fark)

2002-08-29T08:44:00.000-04:00

And you thought your landlord was bad!

A heartless New York landlord is suing relatives of a September 11 victim, claiming she is owed £18,000 in unpaid rent. Denise Lyman said tenant Danielle Kousoulis, killed when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre, should have given three months notice before leaving her flat.

Link via PejmanPundit

2002-08-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

Fine then, We'll just burn more coal!

Instapundit has an interesting link to an article about Environmentalists opposed to wind-generated electricity. As Instapundit says:

"There's just no satisfying some people."

Well, there is, but in this case, no amount of Clean power is going to satisfy the environmentalists. The only thing that will satisfy them is a lack of power generation altogether. Because, of course, this power generation amounts to capitalist activity. The best quote from the article itself:

"There are environmentalists that want to compare wind plants with nothing, and we can never win. Nothing is really great, except it's hard to get any electricity out of it."

The point to remember is that Environmentalists aren't greens. They are more like watermelons. Green on the outside, but red on the inside. Just about any environmentalist issue, you can track down to being anti-business, or anti-capitalist. Look at this idiot to see what I'm talking about. To him, Environmentalism, anti-globalization, anti-capitalism and pro-redistributionist government are all one in the same.

In the words of Patrick Moore, Co-founder of Greenpeace:

[T]he environmental movement has been hijacked by political activists who are using green rhetoric to cloak agendas that have more to do with anti-corporatism and class warfare than with ecology or the environment.

Update: J. Bowen at No Watermelons informs me that this watermelon concept (Green on the outside, red on the inside) is where the name of his blog came from. I think I first read it a while back on another blog, but that person may have very well gotten the original concept from J. Bowen's blog name. Also, A big Howdy to all the Instapundit readers who followed the link here! Update II: According to at least one environmentalist, The introduction of electricity has caused the "destruction" of cultures in the third world

2002-08-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

Beverly Hillbillies, the Reality Show

As I have been saying for years, Rednecks are the only group you are allowed to openly mock these days.

The network will soon begin casting for a weekly half-hour series that will follow the adventures of a rural, lower-middle class family -- yes, there will be a granny -- as they are transplanted from their humble digs to a Beverly Hills mansion. The project is tentatively titled "Real Beverly Hillbillies."

As if we don't already have to put up with enough B.S. from Idiots from the blue states.

Maynard said the show is not designed to mock the rural family, unlike scripted entertainment that often takes a dim view of hick culture.

Yeah. And If you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you may be interest in. When can we get a show about all the idiots from New Jersey who constantly come down to North Carolina, and then proceed to relentlessly mock everything about it, while telling us all incessantly about how much better it is up north. No THAT would be reality television.

2002-08-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

They still make these?

Yahoo!Sony plans to quit making Betamax VCRs. Heck, I thought they had quit making them a long time ago. Does this mean Apple is going to quit making Macs soon?

2002-08-28T10:54:00.000-04:00

Arab League plan to deny the Holocaust

Now you tell me, If any American Politician were to deny or downplay the Holocaust, they would be crucified by all sides, including the Left, the right, and the Mainstream Media. Why is it that there is virtually no notice of this, when it is being done by a coutry, or group of countries who are rabidly anti-american and anti-western? I coudl point out a thousand similar stories, but It would be redundant. Why is it that the mainstream media never prominently displays up negative stories about those who hate the US, but would be lightning quick to point at the flaws of any politician on the right who did something like this?

2002-08-28T09:37:00.000-04:00

Are we talking to ourselves?

The Spoons Experience has an interesting question, and a poll to match. The poll only appears on the main page, not on the first directly linked page.) They want to know if most blog readers are also bloggers themselves. I know I went for about a month or so as a blog reader, before I decided to put my own out there. And I'm pretty sure that a good size number of my fellow readers (or at least the onens that have contacted me) are Bloggers themselves. Anyway, if you get a second, go over there and let them know if you are a solely a consumer of blogs, or a producer as well! (I'm assuming there are few that only write a blog, and never read any other blogs.)

2002-08-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

A New line of work?

It looks like an Animal Rights Activist was mauled by a Grizzly Bear. Did Robert Fisk decide to stand up for Animal Righs, instead of limiting himself to Anti-western Sentiment? (For those not familiar with Fisk, He was the idiot Journalist that was beaten half to death by Afghanis, and then said if he was in their position, “I would have attacked Robert Fisk. Or any other Westerner I could find.”) Link via Silflay Hraka

2002-08-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Meta Analysis via search engine

Tony Woodlief outdoes himself again with an analysis of various websites via their search engines. For example, His visit to the Libertarian Website yielded the following:

A search for the term "legalize drugs" (you knew I was going there, didn't you?) yielded 72 articles. A search for the term "defeat terrorists" yielded four articles. And that, in a nutshell, is why Libertarians don't win.

Of course, he skewers everyone from the Republicans to the National Organization to Women, with various other parties, companies and religious denominations thrown in for good measure. I wonder if he has ever attempted to use Google to search the sites lacking Search Engines, such as the GOP? FWIW, I'm a Methodist, and he Skewers their website pretty well, with the Jesus/Justice Ratio. IMHO, the bigwigs of the UMC are quite a bit different than the rank and file members, particularly those in the many rural/southern Methodist Churches.

2002-08-28T08:12:00.000-04:00

The Angry American

Christofer Johnson at the Midwest Conservative Journal performs a top-rate Fisking of a Guardian Piece by John Sutherland, who probably needs to get his ass kicked by a bunch of Toby Keith Fans. In Sutherland's Column, He repeatedly takes aim and fires at straw-man stereotypes of what he dislikes about America. Especially, Toby Keith's song Courtesy of the Red Whit and Blue. Although he criticizes Country Music and Christian Radio Stations, He never gets around to complaining about Talk Radio. I suppose he wasn't bright enough to figure out that AM/FM button on his radio. But then, being from Britain, having more than a couple of channels to watch or stations to listen to was probably quite disorienting for him.

2002-08-27T09:21:00.000-04:00

Tax breaks for Phasers and Tricorders?

Tim Hagan is trying to get out the ~~Trekkie~~ Trekker vote. Sadly enough, I think this may just work. If anyone tried to oppose him with the Star Wars vote, all Hagan would have to do is throw Jar-Jar, Midichlorians and ewoks in their opponent's face to make them look silly. Link via Nick Danger. Update: But then, maybe we should keep religion out of it.

2002-08-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Western Civilization, love it or leave it!

Paul Wright at TANSTAAFL has written an excellent piece on what makes western civilization so much superior to the alternatives. Here is a brief snippet from his piece:

Western civilisation is the greatest force for good that the world has ever seen. It has created more prosperity, more wealth, more freedom and more happiness for more people than at any other time in the history of history.And the truly extraordinary thing is: we’re mad keen to share it with others. Anyone can join the Club, and get rich along with us. Membership is open to all, regardless of race, creed or colour. Here are the conditions for membership, and they are non-negotiable. 1. Free, fair and frequent elections, open to all adults to vote and contest. 2. Transparent lawmaking 3. Rule of Law, professional police, open courts 4. Free press, with no Government restrictions on starting new media 5. Free markets, internally and externally

Thanks to the Rottweiler for the link.

2002-08-24T15:21:00.000-04:00

How to kill the mood

Everyone knows that when you have a baby, it is very likely to significantly alter your sex life. Well, in addition to the sleepless nights, and everything else, I found a new reason. When you finally get the baby to bed at a reasonable time, and have a few moments to spare with your spouse, be sure to clear the area of baby toys. Nothing ruins the mood like hearing A loud collection of children's sons like "Twinkle Twinkle Little star" and "the Farmer in the Dell" just because your partner accidentally hit a baby toy while in the throes of passion. I suppose thats why they use a different type of music in Porn soundtracks.

2002-08-24T14:43:00.000-04:00

Google searches:

I'm the Number 2 result when someone searches for trojan + Hooker. If I had knwon there was a Trojan out there sharing my last name, I suppose i would have picked a different name. 25 when someone searches for "Al Qaeda website" I have no idea why, but looking at my referral logs is the most interesting part of running a blog. It sounds strange, until you do it. Update: Number 8 for "potato gun" accident Number 1 for msn messenger nickname generator

2002-08-23T10:59:00.000-04:00

The Problem is Lack of Understanding

Every now and then, I stumble across a piece of writing so good that I immediately bookmark the site, having only read one item. This is one of those Insta-bookmark pieces. A brief snippet:

Some intolerant people might point out that those in opressed cultures have comitted horrible acts against each other and us. Those aren't important, because I can name, from memory, any number of offenses made by Western cultures on oppressed groups hundreds of years ago. Especially the United States. I have memorized thousands of potential or historical infractions made by the United States, and although they might not be as serious or credible as others made in related time periods or situations, they are more important to memorize because they were or could have been made by the United States.

Thanks to Vodkapundit for the link.

2002-08-23T09:47:00.000-04:00

Double Standards are twice as good!

Bigwig at Siflay Hraka has an interesting post, where someone on the extreme left is ignored after saying something that someone on the extreme right would be crucified for. Of course, this is par for the course. Take a look at Communism Vs. Nazism. Both Totalitarian ideologies, one on the extreme left, the other on the extreme right. Communism is Winked at by the left, while Nazism is denounced by both sides. Andrew Stuttaford had a great piece that illustrates the point perfectly.

2002-08-22T08:49:00.000-04:00

More Tigger Stuff

Over at Silflay Hraka, Bigwig and I had a brief Pooh-related discussion in his comments section. In a followup post, he managed to make a bloggeriffic parody of the Tigger song.

The wonderful thing about bloggers. Is bloggers are wonderful things. They make the journalists blubber. Their bottoms are really big things. They announce, denounce, pronounce, renounce, It's fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! But the most wonderful thing about bloggers Is that we have just begun! The wonderful thing about bloggers, Is bloggers are wonderful chaps. They're loaded with vim and with vigor. They love to shoot off their yaps. They announce, denounce, pronounce, renounce, It's fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! But the most wonderful thing about bloggers Is I'm the only one. Bloggers are wonderful fellahs. Bloggers are awfully sweet. Everyone else's is jealous. And thats why I repeat. The wonderful thing about bloggers Is bloggers are wonderful things.. They make the journalists blubber Their bottoms are really big things. They announce, denounce, pronounce, renounce, It's fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! But the most wonderful thing about bloggers Is that we have just begun! Yes, Weeeeeeeeee have just begun! (Grrrrrr...)

Only one problem... If he is the "only one", as the tigger song goes, then who would he link to? Of course, as far as the "What Pooh character would you be" aspect of his post goes, I think my Tigger Credentials are well established. Not too many people actually have a reference in Wired to their tiggerness. (Strange... Google doesn't pull up that wired page on a search of my old college email address, but it did a few weeks back when I made the tigger ascii art post.) Update: Bigwig updated the Tigger song to remove the "I'm the only only one!" reference. If only "Big Media" was that fast to correct themself when someone points out an error.

2002-08-22T08:19:00.000-04:00

Isn't it someone else's turn to be Designated Driver?

John Hawkins at Right Wing News has a great piece about why the US is so sick of babysitting the rest of the world.

So how the hell did we end up with our fingers in every bowl of soup from Bahrain to Brazil? It's because we're not content to sit around on our behinds while the entire planet collapses without us. If we actually did kick back in our hammocks for a ten-year rest the Middle East would explode, Taiwan would get swallowed by China and France and Germany would probably be at each other's throats again. Hell, if we took twenty years off it wouldn't surprise me to look at a map and see nothing but a giant swath of China red covering all of Europe, skulls & crossbones covering all of Africa, and nothing but a green patch with the words 'Forbidden Zone' where the Middle East used to be. We're the only thing keeping the planet from reverting back to an early 1800's style plunder, war, and rampage philosophy. If you want put it in perspective, it's like we're the guy who ended up being the designated driver for the planet. Sure we'd love to sit back and drink ourselves into a stupor with the rest of the globe but we're responsible for getting as many people home safe and sound as possible. Every so often while we're sitting around wishing we could kill a few beers like the rest of the planet, a sloppy drunk, drooling, Europe comes over to where we're sitting. Then they take another swig of Vodka straight out of the bottle and tell us not to worry about a thing because they'll drive everyone home in their 'international law' van. But we know if we go ahead and drink up that we'll just get a call at 4 am asking us to bring our tow truck and the 'jaws of life' to clean up the bloody mess on dead man's curve. That's the burden of being an American.

Link via Midwest Conservative Journal