Point made. Again.

Not that I really believe it's needed but, to further strengthen my argument that the media is NOT biased to the right (see "Right-wing Media Indeed, March 14, 2006 in this blog), I quote the latest e-News from Citizens Against Government Waste, a non-partisan watch-dog group that is really non-partisan:

"Porker of the Month"
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Representative Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) Porker of the Month for abusing his position on the House Appropriations Committee by securing hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarks that may have benefited him personally. In an April 8, 2006 article, the New York Times detailed how Rep.Mollohan has directed $250 million to five nonprofit organizations that he set up. To run the organizations, Rep. Mollohan has recruited friends and former aides who then contribute to his political campaigns and family foundation. The National Legaland Policy Center has filed a complaint questioning whether a spike in Rep. Mollohan's personal fortune had any connection to earmarks that he secured, and on April 21, Rep. Mollohan stepped down from his position as the senior Democrat on the House Ethics Committee. For directing earmarks to wasteful projects that have the effect of swelling his campaign coffers and possibly his personal wealth, CAGW names Rep. Alan Mollohan Porker of the Month for April 2006. Read more about the Porker of the Month.http://www.cagw.org/site/R?i=ReksTOgAwJ44tjGfPP0yycA.

Have you heard about this? Of course not. It's a Democrat! The ranking Democrat on the Ethics Committee for crying out loud! The Times was forced to run their article when the Wall Street Journal broke it the story the day before. Since then? Compare this case with that of Tom Delay. Delay's alleged transgressions would appear on the surface to pale in comparison but while the Delay story has lead the network news for months, we've heard not a word about this scandal. As I wrote in my previous post, the media's bias is as clear by what they don't cover as by what they do. Point made. Again.

Oh yea...

Suri?
Congrats Brooke!
Shut up Clooney.
Amer, I wish you had a noonah!

Daddy knows best?

Last week Katie Holmes was wise enough to deliver a new baby girl while the enthusiastic daddy was in London promoting his new movie. I say wise because Dad's whereabouts at the time of delivery seem to be a direct reflection of his life priorities. There's no sense subjecting this poor kid to him any sooner than she had to. If this child has any luck Mom & psuedo-Dad's relationship will deteriorate sooner rather than later, Mom will come to her senses, go home to Grandma & Grandpa and she will have something approaching a normal, well-adjusted, faith-based life. You can bet Dad will be too busy to stop in fly-over country just to see his kid. If not, I'm afraid she is in for a hell of a ride as her Daddy seems to get stranger by the day. My guess is that Tommy-boy is just a couple couch bounces away from dangling this poor kid off a balcony somewhere. By the way, that is NOT the new baby that Tom is holding in the adjoining photo but it's probably only a matter of time.

Have a take, DON'T SUCK!

My advice to everyone, on every subject is something I'm borrowing from Jim Rome the sports talk show host. What Mr. Rome tells his callers and what I'm telling you is this: "Have a take, don't suck!". Be it religion, politics, Bush, the economy, the environment, sports, cars or any other subject you decide to vent your opinion or feelings about, please..."HAVE A TAKE, DON'T SUCK!".
My college age daughter and her boyfriend were telling me recently about a friend of theirs that, despite his fairly conservative Catholic upbringing, had decided to become a Bush hating, war protesting, pseudo-environmentalist, atheist liberal though he could offer them no reasonable explaination of why that was the correct position to hold. The retelling of the discussion with him sounded much like the multitudes of conversations I've heard and had myself with his kind. Many, if not most, liberals have absolutely no basis for the opinions and beliefs they profess to hold. They offer little, if any, scientific or historical foundation to reinforce their arguments. I.e., "They don't have a take, they suck".
While I know there are intelligent, deep-thinking leftists out there, I believe that in many cases the pseudo liberals that make up most of the "left" are regurgitating what they have heard in the media or from their leftist friends (or professors in my daughter's friend's case). It is the modern way of fitting in, of going with the crowd. Many older liberals are leftover hippies that have had nothing to protest since the sixties and seek to relive their youth, to find a new cause to believe in. Many of the younger ones seek the passion that was that era to fill the void in their meaningless, materialistic little lives. They've never learned to believe passionately in anything.
I really have no problem with someone who legitimately disagrees with me if they can do it in a civilized, intelligent manner. I enjoy those thought-provoking, mind-expanding discussions. But don't offer up some half-baked mimic of a sound bite you've heard between Eminem songs. "Bush lied!" they always scream. Yea, yea and Limbaugh's fat. Think, dammit! Decide what you believe and why. Be able to support your argument.
In other words: Have a take, don't suck. Thanks Jim

Ahhh, for Reagan again

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose." - Ronald Reagan

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan

"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong." - Ronald Reagan

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress." - Ronald Reagan

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program." - Ronald Reagan

"I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting." - Ronald Reagan

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." - Ronald Reagan

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book." - Ronald Reagan

"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will & moral courage of free men & women. - Ronald Reagan

Give 'em what they deserve

For a change, let's think about what is good for Iraq and Iraqis. The left and most media sources are consumed with what is good for us (as in U.S., to borrow from Paul Harvey). They seem to give little or no thought to what is good for the world, for the Middle East and for Iraq. It is clear to any that wish to look and listen to the truth that Iraqis want and need the U.S. to help them through this transition period. The terrorists (no, not insurgents, insurgents fight to IMPROVE conditions) are not fighting a war against our troops, they are fighting a war in the larger metropolitan areas for media attention with the hope that, with our media's help, they can continue to turn U.S. public opinion against the war. And they are succeeding to a great extent. They play this game well. The recent calls for withdrawal are short-sighted and irresponsible. They play right into the enemy's hands. This grandstanding rhetoric is disruptive to our effort. It does a disservice to our troops and to the brave Iraqis that report everyday to the police stations and military posts all over that country at great peril to themselves and their families. Those calling for a complete pull-out from Iraq must know that that action would be a certain death sentence for every Iraqi that has fought alongside our troops or shown any support at all for the coalition. Are we really going to desert them?

Myths of Iraq

I opened this blog some time ago with a mention of the medias unwillingness and inability to get it right about Iraq. I was reminded of that again while reading some "boots on the ground" blogs (try it, they're easy to find). There are too many first hand reports, some from members of the media themselves, to excuse the perpetually inaccurate reports of the conditions in Iraq. One such pointed account by Mr. Ralph Peters can be found here: Myths of Iraq. While I admire and respect Ralph Peters and his writing I can't help but believe that if he can dig out these facts a trained reporter on the ground in Iraq could not see these same things. Granted Mr. Peters is retired Army and may have a friendly contact or two but much of what he sites here is common "man on the street" observation. Surely the highly trained and motivated members of the world's media could discover these things if they wanted to!

Right-wing media indeed

I can't believe it when I hear Liberals ( it's OK to call them that now that George Clooney has come out of the political closet) claim to believe that the media has a conservative bias. Are they kidding or just that deluded? Talk about Kool-Aid drinkers! It won't be true no matter how many times you say it. If you can watch the nightly news or anything on CNN, read the daily papers, leaf through almost any current magazine and really believe that the media, with the exception of talk radio, has ANY kind of right-wing slant then you better check yourself for lime breath and a green moustache. This theory can be proved false very easily on any given day simply by looking at what is covered or NOT covered by the media. For example, did you hear about Ruth Bader Ginsburg falling asleep during recent Supreme Court testimony? Of course not. Do you think this would have had some media mention if Clarence Thomas would have nodded off? What about Alita or Roberts? Point made.

If it looks like a duck

Here in my midwestern state there is an ongoing arguement about gaming machines. That's right "gaming machines", not slot machines. Oh, we have slot machines, we keep them in the casinos but in the casinos it's OK to call them slot machines cause that's where the gamblers go. These gaming machines are games, they're for entertainment, not gambling. We put them in gas stations and grocery stores. Beyond that, these gaming machines are much different than slot machines. You see, with these new gaming machines you simply sit down and put your money in. You then push a button. THERE IS NO HANDLE TO PULL! That's how you know it's not a slot machine, see? No handle! Slot machines have a handle! See? Anyway, as I was saying, you push the button (don't try to pull the handle 'cause there isn't one, this is a gaming machine), then you hear all these bells and stuff and see all these flashing lights and stuff and the things go round and round until everything finally stops and either the gaming machine spits out some money or you get to put in some more to play again! Or both! OK, it sounds kinda like a slot machine but it's NOT! See? It's a game, it's entertainment! Isn't that wonderful? What's to argue about? We stick these in all the lower income neighborhoods and it allows the poor people to entertain themselves without going to the casinos where they just kind of ruin the ambience anyway.

Calling it in

Here I was last week dogging on Bode Miller for blowing off his Olympic dreams and squandering the huge endorsement deals that were on the table when I realized that I had been doing the same thing. I looked at this blog and saw that instead of diligently blogging, or at least training to blog, I too had been out partying and blowing off my responsibility to the millions of readers who look to me to carry the banner for dry wit, smart ass, tongue in cheek American bloggers. So here is my public apology to Bode. Sorry, Bode, that we both lived up to the world's expectations of Americans. I wonder if it's too late to get back our endorsement deals?

You've just crossed over into...

I'm a little torn as to where to come down on Vice President Cheney's hunting accident. On one hand, who do the press think they are? How can they so be outraged that it took "almost 24 hours" for them to hear of the incident. On the other, when will Cheney, et al, learn?
My initial reaction is, if I caused injury to someone, especially an old friend it would certainly not be my first thought to call a reporter. I'd call for help, for an ambulance, for the police. I'd call the victims loved ones, my loved ones. Hell, I might even call for a pizza before I thought of the press. Now had it happened in his office, well, that's a different story. Granted, I am not the Vice President (at least you don't know if I am), but the guy was on vacation for goodness' sakes! Hunting with a buddy. Relaxing. As his old friend fell from Cheney's own hand, Cheney's first thought was probably NOT, "How can avoid political damage from this?". I don't think that's how his mind works, I don't think that's how most decent people's minds work. Not everyone plans long-term political strategy while drunk, treading water, as their car sinks with their date inside.
In regard to the second point. When will Bush, Cheney and the Republicans learn that they are not dealing with normal people here. That they have entered different realm. But not a realm of sight and sound. A realm where appearance is more important than intention. Where spin is more important than reality. Listen to the inflammatory phrases used by the press: "Cheney shoots hunting partner!", "Cheney finally breaks his silence!", "White House under the gun!", "Questions persist in Cheney shooting!", "Cheney to face charges!"! Come on, have some common sense and compassion, you would think he gunned this guy down in the street. Regardless, the Bush administration seems to be behind the learning curve when it comes to dealing with the press. They must know by now that it's imperative for them to be out in front of every story. I suspect sometimes that they are just too decent to figure out the devious, twisted thinking in Washington but, hey, that's why you hire advisers and press experts.

crazy Christians

The recent rash of fire bombings, violent protests and death threats by enraged Muslims stemming from the publication of cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb for a hat remind me of the uproar in the Christian community a few years ago after an artist showed a photograph of a crucifix submerged in urine. Remember how all those crazy Christians (mostly Catholics, I'll bet) beheaded artists and burned down museums? Remember how those out-of-control mobs took to the streets? Remember the riots? The death threats by the Pope? Remember how they wouldn't listen to reason? How they just didn't get it? How they couldn't see that it was art? That it was a commentary on our modern world? The evolution of man? Of society? Wow, crazy Christians.

There's got to be a morning after...

Three misguided Massachusetts women backed by pro-abortion groups are right now engaged in suing discount giant WalMart in a attempt to force them to reverse a corporate decision not to offer the morning after abortion pill in their pharmacy network unless it is required by law (only in Illinois). I have no idea why the normally politically correct WalMart has made this decision but I applaud them. Whatever you believe, WalMart's reasoning really doesn't matter. These women have either misread the Massachusetts law or have gotten some poor legal advice. Massachusetts' like most state's laws say that pharmacies "may" carry the pill, not "must". Regardless, no matter how big they are WalMart is a private company. There should be no way that the government, the courts or any private interest group should be able to tell a privately held business what to sell. WalMart, along with many other retailers, have also removed girlie magazines, some violent video games and other products they deemed inappropriate for their stores/customers. Should they be forced to stock those items as well? They are legal after all. Target decided a few years ago that they would no longer sell cigarettes (another legal product), should the government force them to sell that product? Of course not! The left would have you believe that this is a case about abortion rights, that the debate is about the availability of this particular drug; it's not! There will be many corporations without a conscience that will choose to sell this drug, it's WalMart's choice not to. More importantly, it is the consumer's choice where to shop! Don't like it? Vote with your feet! Isn't there a K-Mart across the street?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me

Rev. Joseph Lowery and others remarks at Coretta King's funeral are just more egregious examples of the Left's utter inability to to comport themselves with any dignity and respect. No, I'm not talking about insulting President and Mrs. Bush, although that is bad enough on its own; I'm talking about insulting Mrs. King and her memory. Those antics would not have been appropriate if Bush had not been there. It was like a replay of the unfortunate behavior witnessed at Paul Wellstone's funeral service several years ago. That wasn't a campaign rally and neither was this, it was the funeral for the revered wife of our most important civil rights leader for goodness sakes. I know enough about how Mrs. King lived her life to confidently maintain that she would not have condoned this unseemly conduct. To both the speakers and those that were hooting, cheering and applauding I have only this to say: Shame on you!

y U b HAtin?

Why are so many liberals so full of hate for President Bush? Browse some left leaning blogs and you can't help but be struck by the anger and deep hatred that pour forth in the form of vicious insults and demeaning editorial. Why is that? I was certainly not a big fan of, for example, Jimmy Carter. I thought he was a little wishy-washy; much too weak for my taste on defense and foreign affairs and performed terribly under pressure. But, I didn't hate him! Like all of us he had his strengths and his weaknesses. He had a lot of horse sense and could keep a lot of plates spinning. He was and is a deep thinker, introspective and brutally honest with himself and with us. He believes what he believes whether you agree with him or not. I admire that.

Bill Clinton was another president that I very seldom agreed with politically. I think he governed by whatever he perceived to be popular opinion at any given time. Further, I have little or no respect for him as a man, as a (self-proclaimed) Christian, or as a husband and father. Let's just say I see him as "morally challenged". However, having said all that, I didn't hate him! He was and is a brilliant man in many ways, very likeable and very charismatic.

The bottom line here is that these men were our presidents, arguably the most powerful men in the world during their time. They deserved my respect for the office they held if not for their achievements and more often than not they got it. I will admit that sometimes during the Clinton years I did have to bite my tongue. At the very, very least any president deserves the respect that you would give to any other human being but many on the left can't even seem to conjure up that. What about all that talk about tolerance? How can these people expect to be taken seriously if the underlying premise of any political, economic or social argument is that Bush is stupid and they hate him? For all his failings, this man is our president. He didn't get there just because of his family money, Rockefeller never achieved the presidency. It couldn't have been "Big Oil", how would President Carter have been elected? If the religious right was so powerful Bill Clinton would have never had a second term. Sure good old George struggled in school but he wasn't attending State U. either. Sure he has some skeletons in his closet. So do I, don't you?

The things I like most about Bush are the qualities we all say we want in a political leader but are the same ones most ridiculed by the left. He is real. He isn't an over polished politician with an rehearsed answer at the ready for every question posed. When he is asked a question, he actually answers it; if he doesn't know, he says he doesn't know. He talks like a normal person (read: not in circles). The fact that he isn't a Mensa candidate doesn't worry me because, ala Reagan, he has the common sense and managerial skills to hire good people and let them do their job. Most of all, I like that he has the courage of his convictions. He is willing to stand up for what is right regardless of the political fallout. I've gotta believe that even if I didn't agree with Bush most of the time I could still see, acknowlege and respect his positive qualities. Why can't the tolerant, politically correct liberals?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

OK, maybe it's just time to admit it. I am and will probably always be a smoker and coffee drinker. I try and try but I just can't kick it. I guess it's not THAT bad. It just makes me feel lousy to admit it. For people like me it's hard not to accept responsibility for personal failings and behavior. It's part of us, it's who we are.
Of course maybe this is an instance that I could learn something from the other side. Maybe this is an acceptable situation for a bit of relativism. Alright, here goes. Yes, I admit it; I smoke and I drink too much coffee BUT I have never gotten drunk and drowned a girl, then lied about it for several decades. I've never endangered the lives of my boating buddies even for some really cool pictures of myself. I've never gotten a dime from Jack Abramoff . I've never had a hummer in the oval office. I've never been filmed smoking crack in a motel room with a prostitute. I've never enacted a law that applies to everyone but me. I've never sought attention or money from my hero child's death. I've never..., I've never..., Naa, forget it! This just isn't working, now where did I put those patches?

Formerly loose cannon

Saddam's trial antics further prove what an icon of cogent reasoning, scholarly foresight and thoughtful diplomacy he is and has always been. Here he indicates to the judge and the court how many bonofide supporters really want him back in power in Iraq. Or is he talking about his Seahawks again.

Automatic response

I dislike automatic email responses almost as much as those automatic answering systems that most businesses use. Yes, I know they serve a purpose but that doesn't mean I have to like them. Anyway, there's no reason we can't have some fun with them. I came across these ideas for automatic email responses on another blog (OK, I stole them) and I'm putting one into use on my email today even though I'll be in.
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will only reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails until I return from vacation on Feb. 6th. Please be patient and your email will be deleted in the order it was received.
4. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first ten words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
5. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again.
(The great thing about this one is that you can see how many idiots did it over and over.)
6. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
7. I've run away to join a different circus.
And, finally, this one takes the cake:
8. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Margaret ' instead of 'Steve'.
Happy Friday!

State funded blather

As a citizen of a midwestern city that is home to a major liberal arts state university, as a parent that is paying tuition for a child to attend that same university and as a taxpayer I am regularly appalled by the varied and sundry blather, misinformation and rhetoric that is foisted upon my child and other unsuspecting young minds. I'm sorry for the students that accept as fact all they hear from a professor with a personal axe to grind or, more commonly, an underpaid, undertrained, wet-behind the ears teaching assistant. As with what we all get from the modern media, the majority of what those students will hear in almost any lecture hall or classroom will more likely be editorial than straight fact. I guess they might as well get used to it.

Another victim of "This Administration"!

You know, just yesterday I was bragging that it had been 3 weeks since I had had a cigarette or a cup of coffee and all of a sudden, out of the blue, I've had 2 of each today. I'm not sure how but I know that Bush, Cheney and those damn Republicans must be behind this! If only they had not rushed into this war for oil! If only they would stop monitoring all my private calls and emails! If only they would stop the torturing of innocent Muslims! Now they have coerced me into a relapse of addictive behavior! Those bastards! Where will they stop?

Sorry, another lawyer joke...

A guy calls his attorney, "How much would you charge me if I asked you three questions?". The attorney responds, " $400.00 !!". "Wow, that's a lot of money for 3 questions isn't it?", asks the guy. "Yes it is.", the attorney answers. "Now, what's your third question !!"

Sorry! I don't usually tell lawyer jokes because I'm in one of those professions that also gets alot of bad publicity, jokes, etc. However this one was too clever to pass up. Happy Friday!

Chocolate city?

Can you imagine the outrage if a white person... no wait! a white man...NO, NO, WAIT...imagine if a conservative white man said what New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin is saying? Can you?? The only thing more amazing than what comes out of this guy's mouth is hearing the media falling all over themselves apologizing and explaining for him. He blames George Bush because he and his cronies had not prepared properly; for black-on-black crime; for the mess at the Superdome, etc., etc. and now he says that God is mad at New Orleans? At America? I don't think so! I think anyone paying attention, especially anyone in New Orleans, is mad at Ray Nagin and his ilk. Mad at him for not doing his job. Mad at him for pointing fingers. Mad at him for his endless racial bigotry and hate speak. Chocolate city my ass, build your chocolate city without my green tax dollars!

Missing video

Hey that reminds me, what has happened to all the video of the 9/11 attacks? Ya know, I understand not wanting to scar little kids with those images but come on like "Will & Grace" hasn't already scarred them! I don't think I've seen any video of that day since about 9/15. Those images, as disturbing as they may be, are a part of our history... our national personality if you will. We need to see that tragedy, we need to be reminded (some of us more than others) why we were willing to put the lives of our soldiers on the line in the first place. I think this ties into keeping our nation aware of the ongoing war on terror and supportive of our soldiers. Think of the holocaust, the thought of concentration camps and 6 million dead Jews is disturbing but once you see the photos and read the accounts it is more than disturbing...it is sickening! BUT seeing images of the holocaust recommits us as individuals and as a nation to never, ever let that happen again; and so it is with the 9/11 video. My kids are in luck, my VCR was on record for a week after 9/11 so that my family will NEVER forget!

Too much talking..

Notice how much talking goes on without anything ever being said? At least anything meaningful. Seems everyone has something to say. I noticed this about the time I started this blog and I've been listening...for a year and a half. Guess what? Not much new. The Democrats still hate the Republicans, the Republicans are still obsessed about why. Women still choose to kill their babies while Californians spend $50K plus a year to keep Charlie Manson safe, warm and fat. Reality TV still doesn't seem real to me(is it just me?) and Tom Cruise, et al, are as goofy as ever. Oh yea, and the media still won't tell what is really going on in Iraq!

drjazzb

New blog, recycled name from my misspent youth. Seems appropriate as its origins are as ridiculous as most everything else I run into in the media, on the web and in society recently. Recently, I've been reading alot written by our soldiers in the Mideast and by Iraqis and I'm struck by how these "on the ground" observations differ significantly with what I hear and read in the US media. Amazing. Why?