The Coulter Wit

I was reminded yesterday how wonderfully satirical Ann Coulter can be. Not sure why, but there was actually a little Q&A with Ann in my local paper yesterday. Not local as in the Philadelphia Inquirer or Daily News, but local as in the free ones that litter your lawn during the week.

Q: You could be a fashion model. Were you always slim? Any diet secrets?
A: No, I could not be a fashion model because I won't do heroin. It just smells too "medicine-y." I remember one year I just sat around like a slob, eating and sleeping all day, never working out. Then I turned one year old and decided to change my lifestyle and get healthy.

Then this morning someone emailed me Coulter's new column on John Edwards: "A BABY DADDY FOR BOTH AMERICAS".

"...Who knew that "my father was a mill worker" could be such a great pickup line? In his defense, Edwards had to do something to kill time between giving $50,000 speeches on poverty.

...Meanwhile, the only way consumers of the old media might ascertain that Edwards is embroiled in some sort of scandal is that, starting last Thursday, his name was summarily dropped from lists of possible vice presidential candidates.

If only Republican Larry Craig had been in the bathroom, the MSM might have covered it..." (Read the entire article)

Brilliant.

In Other Edwards-related news: Wikipedia seems to have been forced to participate in Free Speech and unlocked Edwards' page to include two sentences on the impending Sex scandal and love child:

"In July 2008, several news media outlets speculated that Edwards' chances for the vice presidency were harmed by allegations published in The National Enquirer that he had fathered a child outside his marriage, and that he had recently visited the child's mother at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.[59][60][61] When questioned, Edwards responded by dismissing the allegations, stating "I've responded, consistently, to these tabloid allegations by saying I don't respond to these lies and you know that."[62]" (Wikipedia: John Edwards)

Another BS Poll

There seems to be a lot of DC gossip about the Billary marriage now that she lost her bid for the Democratic nomination. Of course there's always been speculation. It is said that Hillary refused Bill a divorce in 1989. It was reported in 2007 that Bill was contemplating leaving Hillary for one of his many conquests. And now the whispers have resurfaced. I think if she would have left him before she ran for President and totally exposed him for the serial philanderer that he was/is, she could have made herself look like a stronger woman...

Will Bill and Hillary End Their Marriage Now That She's Out of the Race?
	Yes, she only stayed for his political pull.
	No, they really love each other.
	No, She'll stay so she can run in 2012.
	Yes, but they'll wait at least a year for appearances.
pollcode.com free polls

Caption It...

John Kerry campaigning again...

David Rees Should Get Some Humor On...

Magazines come to my house unordered and unpaid for. It's a strange phenom that's been going on for quite a while now... The newest uninvited guest is Rolling Stone mag. It's virtually unreadable and it's not like I even have a bird cage to use it in.

There was one "feature" that caught my eye. A "cartoon" (and I use the word VERY liberally) by a dude named David Rees called "Get Your War On." I tried to scan the latest installation (apparently it runs in every issue) but my even my scanner refused to acknowledge the 'cartoon's' validity. The one above was online.

This might be the worst ever. Worse than Doonesbury if possible. Maybe I'm missing the point though. Is there a new genre of unfunny political-ish cartoons?

I then looked up this David Rees and (of course he now 'writes' --I use that word liberally too-- for HuffPo) and here's his deal:

"David Rees was working a crummy magazine job when Operation: Enduring
Freedom inspired him to make his cartoon "Get Your War On." The satire about the war on terrorism became an internet phenomenon. "Get Your War On" now appears in every issue of Rolling Stone." (source)

Now, I'm not trying to stoop to the level of Media Matters or News Hounds...I'm not into slam pieces, BUT I figured some tough love may be in order. That the hate-bush mentality has clouded the Left's minds to the point that this trite crap is regularly featured in a national periodical. Someone needs to say "David, you just aren't funny, ironic or even effectively sarcastic...stop embarrassing yourself."

Call For A Guest Post by An Obamaniac

Over the weekend I extended a very serious guest post request to lefty blogger RBP. The more I thought about it, I decided to open up the inquiry to anyone that can provide everyone here with a substantive answer.

I am looking for a Bush hater. Someone that thinks he really is the worst president ever. Someone that believes he made terrorism worse and that diplomacy works with countries like Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Someone that still talks longingly about universal health care at happy hour. Someone that honestly believes throwing their Evian bottles in an open-top blue bin is saving polar bears. Someone that told anyone that would listen on more than one occasion that Bush had no business being President. That both Gore and Kerry had been WAY more qualified and that this is what the American people get for voting in someone that needed to 'learn on the job' and 'rely so heavily on his administration.'

Now I want that person(s) to explain how they justified their primary vote for Obama (and/or will justify their general election Obama vote) in light of all that. How can they vote for someone that has NO experience (Bush had been a governor and run businesses) that would definitely have to 'learn on the job' and 'rely heavily on his staff.' I really want to understand. I want to hear the reasoning that goes on in front of the tofu & alfalfa dip at the lefty parties that I don't get invited to. This has been driving me crazy for months...

Come to think of it...satire posts on this subject also have tons of potential...

The Police & Elvis

Last summer The Man and I bought tickets to see The Police. Sting got the flu and it was postponed...until last night.

There are some shows where the artist sounds SO different 'in real life' and you know they use tons of studio production to sound they way they do on their albums (Madonna). Then there are some bands that sound WAY better live and you wonder why they can't capture that energy in the studio (Metallica). Then there are the few and far between bands that sound EXACTLY the same as they do on their recordings. That was The Police last night. Sting's voice gave me chills. Hearing 'Message in a Bottle', 'Roxanne', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', 'Don't stand so Close to Me', and 'Can't Stand Losin' You' was phenomenal. It was very cool that Sting made penance for the year delay by procuring Elvis Costello to open --he even came on stage and they did Allison together.

There was no mention of politics...just great music by a band that has been staple through most of my life. Just as it should be.

...And I managed a few pictures without getting my camera confiscated this time :)

Philadelphia's Folly: "Racial Loyalty Over Citizenship"

I feel like really profound articles are VERY few and far between. Most just hollowly regurgitate an event and those that seek to be moving rarely make the mark. Investigative journalism seems to be dead --whether for financial reasons or maybe reporters are just scared. The inkies shouldn't be baffled that subscriptions are plummeting and sales are at an all time low (even for the NYT).

But, that being said, every once in a great while you find and article that you can't just skim through. One in which each line written feels like a slam dunk and you're saying "yeah!" out loud. An article that makes you want to meet the author and shake their hand. I read one of those yesterday by Kevin Williamson on National Review Online.

It's an article about the state of affairs in Philadelphia, but I think it can be symbolic of the entire country when it comes to racial issues and the taboo in speaking about them.

"The careers of mediocrities such as John Street and Sandra Dungee Glenn have been made possible by what might be called 'the paranoid style in African-American politics,' the elevation of racial loyalty over citizenship. The hogwash proffered by Barack Obama's mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright--AIDS is a government plot to kill African-Americans, the CIA peddles crack--is pretty mild compared to political discourse in black Philadelphia. Before the 2004 election, one black newspaper warned its readers to flee the city because President Bush was planning to suppress the inner-city vote ... with nuclear weapons. This paranoid style is deeply embedded in the race-based politics of Philadelphia, and the police catch the worst of it.

'We have an avid hate for the police,' says Michelle Green, a black woman working an overnight shift near the Convention Center. 'Black police officers have taken on the role of overseers,' she says, smiling at the whip-cracking plantation metaphor. 'They are haters of their own race.' This attitude is not isolated. 'Stop Snitchin' T-shirts, advertising a philosophy that threatens death to those who cooperate with police--'Snitches get stitches, and get found in ditches'--are a hot item at street kiosks. A former prosecutor reports seeing a woman who planned to give a statement in the murder of her son being physically dragged out of a police car by her neighbors.

But it is precisely in the black neighborhoods that the police are most needed. Nine of Philadelphia's 25 police districts, mostly in black neighborhoods, account for two-thirds of the city's homicides. African-Americans represent about 85 percent of the homicide victims and a similar proportion of the killers." (Read the entire article)

I love Philadelphia. I just hate that it is being systematically destroyed by the criminals and the politicians alike and no one wants to talk about it --they just want to blame an inanimate object (guns) without ever taking a look at themselves...

Wives of Yesteryear

The Man and I have been catching up on the first season of AMC's "Mad Men" (about the Advertising men of the 1950's) and, though it's a good show, the reality of how women were treated and regarded by the men has been giving me a physical stomach ache as I've been watching...

You Would Make an Okay 1930's Wife

You have some of the attributes of an ideal 1930's wife... but you probably didn't intend it to be that way. You don't buy into retro gender roles, though you do embrace your femininity at times. A 1930's man may find you passable, but you probably wouldn't want anything to do with him.

Would You Have Been a Good Wife in the 1930s?

And for the men:
Would You Have Been a Good Husband in the 1930s?

The MSM Starting to Talk About Edwards' BabyGate?

No, I won't stop talking about this --and you should all know why. If this were McCain's baby-gate it would be front page AND above the fold of every dead-tree in the country (and beyond). But God forbid a Democrat's character be maligned on allegations...

Even though "rumors have been brewing for months in D.C.", the MSM has a seeming gag order on their reporters.

Newsbusters reported that Wikipedia "disallows any mention of the impending scandal". Tony Pierce, the editor of The Los Angeles Times, went so far as to order staff "not to cover the rumors or salacious speculations".(source) Mickey Kaus, a blogger for Slate magazine, leaked the memo. He noted: “This was a sensational scandal that the Los Angeles Times and other mainstream papers passionately did not want to uncover when Edwards was a formal candidate and now that the Enquirer seems to have done the job for them it looks like they want everyone to shut up while they fail to uncover it again.” (source)

It would be interesting to do a roundup on how many MSM papers (and I know the NYT would be among the list) ran stories that speculated about the relationship McCain had with a lobbyist. A relationship that those papers running the story admitted had no proof. Yet Edwards is caught trying to sneak from the hotel's service elevators in the basement and all of sudden politician's are innocent until proven guilty...? Once again a maddening double standard.

Caption It...

...Obama in Berlin.



Though it'll be hard to top the sentiment in this cartoon by J. Lavery:

Today in History

Born on July 26th:

Carl Jung
Stanley Kubrick
Mick Jagger
Kevin Spacey
Sandra Bullock
George Bernard Shaw
Kate Beckinsale
George Clinton
Dorothy Hamill
Mary Jo Kopechne
ALa

Today in History: July 26

1788: New York became the 11th state in the United States.
1847: Liberia became Africa's first republic.
1908: The Office of the Chief Examiner, which in 1935 became the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was created.
1947: President Harry S Truman signed the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1952: Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires at age 33.
1952: King Farouk I of Egypt abdicated after a coup led by Gamal Abdal Nasser.
1953: Fidel Castro was among a group of rebelling anti-Batistas who unsuccessfully attacked an army barracks.

Daughter of Renowned Feminist Speaks

What an absolutely amazing article written by the daughter of Alice Walker. I could not stop reading... Here is a woman that is idolized by so many, but that treated the 'woman' she gave birth to so poorly. I'm assuming this is a segment we'll never see on the Oprah Winfrey Show...

Alice Walker's daughter, Rebecca Walker, talks bluntly about her childhood, sex sanctioned by her mother at 13, and abortion at 14, and being disowned because she opted to "enter servitude" and become a mother:

"...The truth is that I very nearly missed out on becoming a mother - thanks to being brought up by a rabid feminist who thought motherhood was about the worst thing that could happen to a woman.

You see, my mum taught me that children enslave women. I grew up believing that children are millstones around your neck, and the idea that motherhood can make you blissfully happy is a complete fairytale.

In fact, having a child has been the most rewarding experience of my life. Far from 'enslaving' me, three-and-a-half-year-old Tenzin has opened my world. My only regret is that I discovered the joys of motherhood so late - I have been trying for a second child for two years, but so far with no luck.

I was raised to believe that women need men like a fish needs a bicycle. But I strongly feel children need two parents and the thought of raising Tenzin without my partner, Glen, 52, would be terrifying.

As the child of divorced parents, I know only too well the painful consequences of being brought up in those circumstances. Feminism has much to answer for denigrating men and encouraging women to seek independence whatever the cost to their families.

My mother's feminist principles coloured every aspect of my life. As a little girl, I wasn't even allowed to play with dolls or stuffed toys in case they brought out a maternal instinct. It was drummed into me that being a mother, raising children and running a home were a form of slavery. Having a career, travelling the world and being independent were what really mattered according to her.

I love my mother very much, but I haven't seen her or spoken to her since I became pregnant. She has never seen my son - her only grandchild. My crime? Daring to question her ideology.

Well, so be it. My mother may be revered by women around the world - goodness knows, many even have shrines to her. But I honestly believe it's time to puncture the myth and to reveal what life was really like to grow up as a child of the feminist revolution." (Read the entire article)

Obama & The American Press

He ventured forth to bring light to the world:
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers

"And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow." (Read the entire article)

I guess words ARE more powerful than swords...who knew one man could mesmerize a nation with the use of the word "change." I am both astounded and disgusted at the same time...

Caption It...

Misunderestimated Misoverrated

"The objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years." (source)

But this is just one of many "Obama Gaffes". In fact, there's an entire website devoted to Barry's Blunders: Obama's Gaffes: How many more gaffes until we can call him Stupid!

There was the strange ban on green for Obama staffers in the Middle East. The Weekly Standard has an Obama Ignorance Watch that highlights Obama's bloopers and lack of general knowledge when addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It seems that the Left is willing to overlook all the things in Obama that they ranted about for the past 7 years with Bush.
They don't care if he has never run anything in his life.
They don't care he's a novice politician and a fledgling when it comes to foreign policy.
They are perfectly fine with him "learning in the job" and surrounding himself with "smart people that can guide him through."
They are willing to turn a deaf ear to all the quirky gaffes that would have adorned placards and t-shirts had Bush uttered them... Things like: "Um, let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel’s.” ~Barack Hussein Obama

I give up.

John Edwards: Veep or Baby Daddy?

A little while back I posted about the National Enquirer story alleging John Edwards was engaging in an affair that had produced a love child. Now it seems the oft disdained publication was right on the money. I realize I might be the serious minority here, but I LOVE these kind of stories. No 'he said - she said' or 'denounce this or that', but concrete evidence of slimedom. You know Clinton is somewhere reading all this feeling quite superior...

This 'man' was (is?) being seriously considered by Obama as a VP. Before that he was running for president. I got hell for saying he was a bad husband for staying in the race after his wife was told she had end stage cancer. Little did I know just how shady he was... People ALWAYS get caught, but if you're running for the highest (or second highest) office in the land...OF COURSE YOU'LL GET CAUGHT and then you can crash the spirit of your dying wife even further. What an absolute piece of shit.

For those who would dismiss everything because it's the National Enquirer, consider this paragraph from Roger Simon at Pajamas Media:

"...Oh, one last thing, for those of you who say it’s The National Enquirer, how do we know it’s true? I suggest you Google the “National Enquirer and OJ Simpson.” They broke most of the important stories on that case. In general, these days they’re vastly more reliable than The New York Times..." (source)

The LA Times did an interesting blog roundup about the impending scandal. If your fresh out of Ipecac syrup and are in need...just read the comments under that article. The justifications for Edwards are amazing...One thing I can rest assured knowing is I'm NOT a hypocrite and I'd be just as scathing if this were a star Republican (remember why I didn't want Newt to run...)

And this surprising calling out of the MSM double standard from the left-leaning Slate.com:

"Why jump on Larry Craig, and not John Edwards as equally?

Shafer writes: "If Edwards had no affair and fathered no love child, it should be easy to erase the hypocrisy charge, and the press owes him that, pronto. If we give Edwards the benefit of the doubt, which he deserves, visiting the woman who recently gave birth to the out-of-wedlock child of a married campaign aide is completely OK.

But meeting her at a Beverly Hills hotel in the early hours of the morning and running from tabloid reporters when approached and hiding in a hotel bathroom for 15 minutes, as the Enquirer reports Edwards did, is not completely OK. Not if he wants to avoid the hypocrite label."

Shafer continues: "So why hasn't the press commented on the story yet? Is it because it broke too late yesterday afternoon, and news organizations want to investigate it for themselves before writing about it? Or are they observing a double standard that says homo-hypocrisy (Craig) is indefensible but that hetero-hypocrisy deserves an automatic bye?" (Read the entire article)

Caption It...

Master Sgt. Sued for Tiny American Flags

This from "Gathering of Eagles'" website:

You may or may not have read about Master/Sgt. Denise James and the suit filed against her by [the] condominium association where she lives. Her hearing has been re-scheduled for Aug. 25, 2008 at 11:30 am before Judge Carla Swearingn in McKees Rocks, Pa.

We are asking everyone to attend this hearing in her support and to support the flying of the American Flag. Wear your VVA/AVVA T shirts, ball hats, vest. I am also asking the Patriot Guard Riders and Rolling Thunder to attend.

Denise is being fined $10.00 a day in the suit everyday she flies her small American Flags in front of her condo. Someone tell me, is this still AMERICA?

Denise has served with the 171st Refueling Wing, Pa. National Guard for 25 years and this is how we tell her Thank YOU?

You may send a card to the condo association:

McKenzie Place Condominiums Assoc.
2500 Kenzie Drive
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15205

Or

Go to the web site and send an e mail
http://www.mckenzieplace.com

Ms. James has asked to attend our meeting of Vietnam Veterans Of America, Chapter 862 July 16. Please come and show your support.

We and these troops have fought for the freedom…..and I can not think of a group or one person who can tell her or us that you cannot fly OUR American Flag.

IT’S TIME WE MAKE A STAND !

L.Skip Haswell, President
Vietnam Veterans Of America
Chapter 862/ Pa.State VVA Vice President

My Addition It would seem the Condo Association got wind of the fire storm they were creating and added this to the FRONT PAGE of their website (in bold red font):

"IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FLY A FLAG OFF OF YOUR POST, PLEASE CONTACT BRENDAN AT ____. HE WILL BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU. THE BOARD HAS APPROVED FLAG POLE LOCATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS DONE BY THE MAINTENANCE STAFF ONLY."

Look at how small her flags are...did she need a maintenance man to poke them into her plants...?!

(H/T: BigD)

Chick Chat Radio

I'm a bit light on the posts today because I spent a good many hours last night in the hospital getting tests to determine if I was leaking amniotic fluid. In the end it was all okay (thankfully because I'm only 28 weeks), but they really do freak you out with all the "better safe than sorry stuff"!

Anyway, my segment on Chick Chat Radio is now posted on their site. You can go here If that link doesn't work for you just go to the site and click "Listen Now", then click on the "Latest Show -This Weeks's Show" link. I am the first guest right after Heidi and Lara's intro (that feature's a House of Pain song!).

Can You Spot a Congressional Democrat?

You Sometimes Know When Someone's Lying

You can spot a liar if the liar slips up, but you're not always aware of other people's dishonesty. Eventually a liar will reveal himself, and you usually will figure out if you've been lied to. However, someone could be duping you without you knowing it. So watch out for the telltale signs of lying!

Can You Spot a Liar?

Terror-linked Adverts in NYC

"In time, this so-called democracy will crumble, and there will be nothing, and the only thing that will remain will be Islam." -Siraj Wahhaj

Those are the words of Silamic Imam Siraj Wahhaj from one of his sermons. Now, we know from our experience with the Rev Jeremiah Wright, that apparently what is said in sermons doesn't matter when confronted later...so perhaps this post is moot.

"... Allah board!

An Islamic group plans to blitz 1,000 subway cars with advertisements this September in a campaign being promoted by a Brooklyn imam whom federal officials have linked to a plot to blow up city landmarks.

The group says its mission is to explain the true nature of Islam to non-Muslims who believe the religion is bent on acts of violence - but Siraj Wahhaj, the inflammatory imam who appears in a promotional YouTube video for the project, has defended convicted bomb-plotters and called the FBI and CIA the "real terrorists."

US Attorney Mary Jo White even named Wahhaj one of 170 unindicted co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the thwarted plan to blow up a slew of buildings..." (source)

Here's another dilemma for the Libertarian-minded... Do terrorists get "free speech" here in the Land of the free? Should this Imam get to plaster his ideas throughout the subways of NYC?

I Threw Away Tomatoes...

...and now it seems I have to ditch my jalapeños. Before my Bobby Flay crush I wouldn't even have had jalapeños, but three newly bought peppers went into the trash this morning. Wasn't the spinach scare due to fecal matter from Mexico? Not to be mean or anything...but do we really want Mexicans doing the "jobs Americans don't want to do" if they can't even manage to wash their hands first?

"Government inspectors finally have a big clue in the nationwide salmonella outbreak: They found the same bacteria strain on a single Mexican-grown jalapeño pepper handled in Texas — and issued a stronger warning for consumers to avoid fresh jalapeños.

But Monday’s discovery, the equivalent of a fingerprint, doesn’t solve the mystery: Authorities still don’t know where the pepper became tainted — on the farm, or in the McAllen, Texas, plant, or at some stop in between, such as a packing house.

Nor are they saying the tainted pepper exonerates tomatoes sold earlier in the spring that consumers until last week had been told were the prime suspect." (source)

Now with that nasty business of sickness, samonilla and illegals killing US citizens aside --Teddy Kennedy should be proud that Mexico bestowed upon him their "Aztec Eagle" award for his good work with "immigrants" (aka illegals):

"He has denounced injustices suffered by immigrants," and "promoted initiatives to promote full political participation and increased access to health and education services for the Mexican-American community," the official announcement said. (source)

Caption It...

Muslims Offended...Again

During a conference call with reporters (arranged by Florida's Republican Comittee --NOT John McCain), one of McCain's fellow former POW's said this:

"The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us. I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel." ~Col. Bud Day

"Muslim leaders and Arab-American groups quickly denounced the ''bigoted'' comments by Day, a Pensacola resident, Medal of Honor recipient and member of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attack machine from 2004.

''This is as close to racist as it gets. These are cheap street tactics,'' said Khaled Saffuri, who helped organize Arab outreach for President Bush's 2000 campaign but is now a Libertarian. ``Even if this is called a mistake or a slip of the tongue, it shows a bigger problem with racism. McCain and the Republican party should denounce this.''

''It's perpetuating a form of Islam-ophobia,'' said Saif Ishoof, a Miami Republican and president of the Center for Voter Advocacy, a nonpartisan group in Florida that educates Muslims about the political process." (source)

EVERYONE knows what the Colonel meant, but of course Muslim leaders are in an uproar. THEY might think there is a huge difference in saying Muslim or terrorist/radical Mulsim, etc. but no non-Muslim does. Terrorists are Muslim. I realize that doesn't mean ALL Muslims are terrorists, but since 99.999% of terrorists are Muslim, this is just semantics...and as usual when it comes to Muslims...much ado about nothing.

CAIR and "Muslim leaders" really need to invest in some non-Muslim PR people. Someone ballsy enough to say, "Every time you issue a statement you make yourselves look worse." If McCain "denounces" this, I'm "denouncing" him.

The MSM should start reporting when Muslims AREN'T offended by something --it would save time, ink and trees.

Will San Fran Be Held Accountable?!

"The man charged with killing a father and two sons on a San Francisco street last month was one of the youths who benefited from the city's long-standing practice of shielding illegal immigrant juveniles who committed felonies from possible deportation.

Edwin Ramos, now 21, is being held on three counts of murder in the June 22 deaths of Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16.

Ramos, a native of El Salvador whom prosecutors say is a member of a violent street gang, was found guilty of two felonies as a juvenile - a gang-related assault on a Muni passenger and the attempted robbery of a pregnant woman - according to authorities familiar with his background.

In neither instance did officials with the city's Juvenile Probation Department alert federal immigration authorities, because it was the city agency's policy not to consider immigration status when deciding how to deal with an offender. Had city officials investigated, they would have found that Ramos lacked legal status to remain in the United States." (source)

Giving sanctuary (including jobs) to an illegal that then commits a crime should render the sanctuary provider/employee just as liable (like a straw purchase for fire arms). They would not have been capable of committing the crime were it not for the enabler. THIS might cut down on illegal immigration as Americans may not be so quick to break the law if it put their own livelihood in jeopardy...

Fattest Region: The South

"The South tips the scales again as the nation's fattest region, according to a new government survey.

More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are considered obese. In part, experts blame Southern eating habits, poverty and demographic groups that have higher obesity rates.

Colorado was the least obese, with about 19 percent fitting that category in a random telephone survey done last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overall, about 26 percent of the respondents were obese [1 in 4 Americans], according to the study, published this week in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The 2007 findings are similar to results from the same survey the three previous years. Mississippi has had the highest obesity rate every year since 2004. But Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana also have clustered near the top of the list, often so close that the difference between their rates and Mississippi's may not be statistically significant.

The South has had high death rates from heart disease and stroke, health risks that have been linked to obesity, some experts noted." (source)

I love Southern cooking, but I see how eating like Paula Deen every day could cause major weight and artery problems... I have been saying it for YEARS, but it bears repeating --if Americans would do something as simple as cut soda out of their diets, I bet the obesity rate would drop dramatically...

Caption It...

Who's Salsa?

You Are Barbeque Sauce

You are a social person. You enjoy cooking for other people. You are both skillful and competitive. You enjoy mastering hard tasks. You appreciate complexity more than simplicity. Your taste in food tends to lean toward interesting flavors. You appreciate exotic spice combinations. You tend to like cutting edge, fusion cuisine. You get along with all personalities from a distance. Except salsa personalities, who always seem to annoy you.

What Condiment Are You?

It Seems No One "Got It"

The New Yorker seems to have touched quite a few raw nerves...on both sides of the aisle. That's always a good thing in my opinion. They claim it was a satire pointed at 'right wing scare tactics', but that seems a bit suspect...I think a first year advertising student would know this would backfire. Most Americans wouldn't get "the joke" and the image will remain...

"Myrlie Evers-Williams, 75, the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, told an NAACP luncheon group Tuesday that political spin masters and the news media are painting the Obamas as unpatriotic and dangerous radicals. She said the attacks are serious enough to use the term lynching, even though that usually refers to racially-motivated killings.

"As I watch the political scene unfold, I realize there is more than one way to lynch someone," said Evers-Williams. "I look at the picture of the New Yorker and to me that was subtle, political lynching. You can call it satire if you want."

The New Yorker has said that the cartoon and a related article are meant to call attention to the use of scare tactics and misinformation to derail Obama's presidential campaign. The magazine's editors say the cartoon is a satire.

"The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall ... echo one attack or another," the magazine's said in a prepared statement..." (source)

I *Heart* Texas

"...Texas will go ahead with the scheduled Aug. 5 execution of Houston rapist-killer Jose Medellin despite Wednesday's United Nations world court order for a stay, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry said.

The U.N.'s International Court of Justice's call for stays in the cases of Medellin and four other Mexican nationals awaiting execution in Texas came in response to a petition filed last month by the Mexican government.

The petition sought to halt executions to allow for review of the killers' cases to determine whether denying them access to the Mexican Consulate after arrest impaired their trial defenses.

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations stipulates that, upon request, an alien offender's national consulate must be notified of his arrest..." (Read the entire story)

The crime statistics among illegal immigrants is staggering --and the federal government should be liable for each and every incident as long as they sit and do nothing to secure the border...

Gay Marriage Faces Democracy

"...Californians will get to vote in November on a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the state Supreme Court decided Wednesday.

In a unanimous order, without comment, the court dismissed a lawsuit by gay rights advocates seeking to remove an initiative sponsored by conservative religious groups from the Nov. 4 ballot. The measure, Proposition 8, would overturn the court's 4-3 ruling May 15 that allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry in California.

The suit, on behalf of couples who had challenged the state's previous ban on same-sex marriage, argued that Prop. 8 would destroy fundamental rights that cannot be changed by a voter initiative. The court rarely takes up legal challenges to a ballot measure before an election, and could consider the same issue in another lawsuit if the measure passes.

The suit was "a desperate effort to keep the amendment away from the democratic process," said attorney Glen Lavy of the Alliance Defense Fund, which represents sponsors of Prop. 8..." (source)

This is how all these issues should be decided. State by State....like...a Democracy! I am not suggesting that 'individual rights' be denied by any means, but I do object to the word marriage being used as it does bear a religious connotation (To be fair, I also object to atheists/agnostics using the word marriage). Each and every controversial issue should be voted on, state by state...by the people, for the people...

Caption It...

Charity Courtesy of Hollywood's Limousine Liberals

They have no problem telling YOU what to do with YOUR money... And they love sending theirs overseas so they don't have to be near the dirty, little people they're helping. This story was reminiscent of Teddy Kennedy's windmills...

"...TIM Robbins' and Susan Sarandon's mission to protect the poor and needy doesn't apply to their Greenwich Village neighborhood. The Oscar-winning liberals recently attended a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing to oppose St. Vincent's plea to build a new, larger hospital on West 12th Street, three blocks from their home. This despite their support of causes like UNICEF and Champions for Children. "The hospital provides $40 million in care to the indigent every year," one proponent told us. "Robbins dismissed more than 100 people rallying in support of the hospital - low-income, union workers and veterans of the AIDS crisis - as 'those people out there.' " Sarandon said in a statement: "Improving the hospital is a great idea. However, this can be accomplished without compromising the neighborhood. St. Vincent's should consider the proposed alternative solutions." Robbins declined to comment..." (source)

All Hail Obama

Apparently Obama has pledged to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Isn't he amazing!?

This post conjured scary images of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-il smiling slyly and swearing they had rid themselves of all nuclear components...and Barry buying it all hook, line and sinker. I have visions of the US being the only Non-Nuclear power in the world thanks to the inexperience of Barry Hussein... Can you see it?

Is McCain Too Old?

This from the AP:

This from J.Marquis:

"This Man is Too Damn Old to be President
There, I said it. You can call me an ageist or whatever else you want but I'm sticking to my guns. Even if he was the Democrat in the race I'd say it.

Foreign policy is supposed to be McCain's specialty. Maybe he's sharp as a tack inside the brain but when the words come out he's mixing up Sunnis and Shia and resurrecting Czechoslovokia. Could be a problem if he decides to declare war on Belgium rather than
Syria.

You know what else elderly people do? They lose the ability to filter comments. Just think about your cranky old aunt who can't get through an entire family meal without pissing off half the people in the room. Now just imagine John McCain addressing a
room full of "Chink" leaders at a US-China trade conference.

If you think that's an exaggeration, just reflect on the fact that only days ago he joked that selling cigarettes to Iran was a good way to kill the people of that country.

It will be interesting to see who McCain picks to be his running mate. If old John wins the election I just don't see how he could manage to get through more than one term...." ~J.Marquis

I guess the first thing that comes to mind about age is that Reagan was four years older than McCain when he defied advice and conventional wisdom and ordered Gorbachev to 'Tear down this wall!'

I understand my father's 'age concern' --he thinks men "soften"/get more mellow with age and wonders if this phenomenon may explain some of McCain's recent foibles (immigration, climate change). That is definitely a concern (though Reagan seemed to get tougher with age).

But I'm hardly concerned with whether he mixes up Sunnis and Shias --they aren't even different races or tribes. They're people that differ a bit on the same damn false religion and then kill each other over it. And as for the Iran joke...it was a JOKE. Actually, it's when he says things like that I feel a little better about him...

And I would rather have an experienced older man than a young neophyte that's never ran a thing in his life...

Obama's Dishonest Ads

It's the MIDDLE OF JULY and I am already inundated in Obama for President ads... OMG, seriously, I don't think I can take this until November. To McCain's credit, I have only seen one or two for him (opposed to 3-5 a day for Barry) and those have been put out by the RNC.

Obama's 'giant enthusiasm lead' is shrinking by the day and barraging people in ads this early is not going to fix that... I know this goes against my Libertarian core, but for this we may need a law: no annoying political commercials until Set. 1st... ;)

This new 'Obama is tough on welfare recipients' is classic though...The ad is running in 18 states and it's based on a LIE and McCain has done nothing to dispute it...

Caption It...

First Steps Into Socialism...

And we thought it would be health care...but it's mortgages:

"In a country that holds itself up as a citadel of free enterprise, Washington has morphed from being the lender of last resort into effectively the only resort for home loans for millions of Americans engaged in the largest transactions of their lives.

Before, the government's more modest mission was to make more loans available at lower rates. Now it is to make sure the loans that matter most to middle class Americans are made at all.

The new reality is scorned by libertarians and conservatives, who fear intrusions by the state in the market, and by populists and progressives, who rue a society in which education and housing increasingly rest upon the government's willingness to finance it.

"If you're a socialist, you should be happy," said Michael Lind, a fellow at the New America Foundation, a research institute in Washington. "But you should really wonder whether you want people's ability to pay for housing and college dependent on the motives of people in Washington." (Read the entire article)

One thing I've never understood (besides people looking to strangers to bail them out from under their own poor decisions) is how there can be a such thing as a bad housing market. If the houses are selling for more than they're worth -that's good for the sellers. And if they're selling for their real value --that's good for the buyers. Unlike many markets, with housing either way someone wins...

Sex Offenders' "Rights"

"The Florida Supreme Court says its OK for sex offenders to possess pornography if it's not "relevant" to their "deviant behavior pattern."

The court's 5-2 ruling Thursday in a 66-page decision overturned a lower court ruling in a Miami case resulting after Donald Dean Kasischke was arrested again for having pornography in his home.

Kasischke had been release from prison on counts of lewd or lascivious battery and paying $40 to perform oral sex on a 15-year-old boy." (source)

Is it his "right" to possess porn, or did he lose all rights the second he because a convicted sex offender?

Regardless of your opinion on that, I'm still struggling with why the courts always seem to be so lenient when it comes to pedophiles...

Westboro Baptist Plans Protest at Tony Snow's Funeral

This from their websites protest schedule --Among the scheduled protests of soldiers at Ft. Bragg and others in Arizona...:

07/17/2008 08:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Washington, DC National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 400 Michigan Ave. NE
Tony Snow (Press Secretary for 6 "B" George W. Bush) is dead, YES! He had a platform, he was given some small talent by his creator. He was an unfaithful steward, and is now residing in hell.

Over at Newsbusters they are hoping the Patriot Guard Riders know about this protest.

Read the insane PDF here.

Rolling Stone *Hearts* Obama

This is the current cover of Rolling Stone magazine (Complete with Flag Pin):



I actually called The Man from the store when I saw it and asked him to look up past covers to see if there were any that just had a picture with no other writing...there wasn't.

Not only does Obama get showcased in a way NO other politician, celebrity or rock star ever has...he was already on the cover this year: March 2008 Obama cover

Considering Rolling Stone is a MUSIC magazine, politicians really shouldn't be on the cover...but over the last 8 years there were 7 covers that featured a political person. Only ONE was a Republican-- May 2006 pictured a cartoon Bush in a dunce hat with the question: Worst President ever?. In 2004 there was Michael Moore, Howard Dean and John Kerry. And in 2000...of course there was an Al Gore cover. Five Dems (Obama twice in 6 months) and a cartoon Bush in a dunce hat... Since the Democrats are so keen on 'the Fairness Doctrine', maybe they can start with Rolling Stone...

Obama Supporters & Democrats...Please Provide Justifications Below:

There is more data against socialized medicine than there is against the idea of man-made global warming... yet the universal health care movement is almost as strong as the Go Green industry.

I guess if no other data (or testimonials from citizens of the UK and Canada) has shown them that government funded health care is a disaster waiting to happen --I assume this won't have an impact either:

The reality of socialized medicine:

"...More than 120,000 cancer victims die early every year after being denied drugs that could have extended their lives, leading doctors are warning.

A dossier to be submitted to the Government's review of drug funding identifies 136,000 British patients a year who could benefit from 10 cancer treatments which are commonly available across Western Europe, but rarely funded by the NHS. Estimates show that fewer than 5 per cent are receiving the drugs, with many of those who get them paying privately.

The report, Paying for Cancer Care, by the oncologist Prof Karol Sikora, says demand is such that ministers must change rules that penalise desperate patients who pay for the drugs..." (Read the entire piece)

Congratulations!!!

...to my brother-in-law (AB's man). On Friday he graduated from the Philadelphia Fire Academy and will now join the underpaid, overworked ranks of Philly's Fire Department.

This is him receiving a medal from Philadelphia's Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayres.

Congrats and here's to finding good side jobs on your four days off! ;)

Caption It...

Found in Boston's South End:

WWIII?

"Iran’s firing of nine ballistic missiles on Wednesday was neither a test nor an exercise. It was a message to the West, United States and Israel. The message is that Iran has no intentions of halting its uranium enrichment program, which most observers believe is the first step in Iran’s development of nuclear weapons." (source)

"Theocratic Iran continues to challenge Western democracies. Missiles designed to do in 6 minutes what Hitler did in 6 years to 6 million Jews were test fired by this radical Islamic theocracy. The Hitler of Iran has threatened to kill every Jewish person in Israel even if it costs Iran 50 percent of its population. Iran has imprisoned British sailors and sent a fleet of rubber boats against gigantic U.S. warships. Where is a strong statement from our president? Where is the bold warning against an enemy who has threatened us and our allies again and again? Nowhere. Silence and weak words are all that have come out of the White House and the West."
~Michael Savage (Read the entire piece)

"Ehud Barak [Israel's defence minister], speaking in Tel Aviv, said Israel had "proved in the past that it won't hesitate to act when its vital security interests are at stake" (source)


"The head of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries warned Thursday that oil prices would see an "unlimited" increase in the case of a military conflict involving Iran, because the group's members would be unable to make up the lost production." (source)

"UN chief Ban Ki-moon issued a fresh appeal for Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment work as Washington warned Tehran to cease its "provocative" missile tests.

"I have been calling on Iranian authorities to fully comply with all relevant Security Council resolutions and continue their negotiations with European Union and concerned parties," Ban said" (source)

"Did Iran doctor missile photos? This is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a cloned missile," Sella said. "It is not possible for the smoke trails, both on the ground and in the air, to be identical." He described the image as "a sloppy Photoshop job." (source)

Is That A Flag Pin...?

July 10, 2008 "Women for Obama" campaign event



Obama Quote from Oct. 2007:

"Shortly after 9-11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, [flag pins] became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.

"I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest," he said in the interview. "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism." ~Barack Hussein Obama

Does this guy have one belief that he sticks to regardless of public opinion?

Bush Girl Meets Obama Girl

The "Obama Girl" rebuttal (I guess).


Bush Girl Meets Obama Girl - Watch more free videos

"...never down with Romney, or with Guiliani..."

(H/T: Irish Diablo)

Caption It...

Does He Have 'Nuts?'

"Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for saying Barack Obama is “talking down to black people” during what Jackson thought was a private conversation before a FOX News interview Sunday.

Jackson was speaking to a fellow guest at the time about Obama’s speeches in black churches and his support for faith-based charities. Jackson added before going live, “I want to cut his nuts off.”

His microphone picked up the remarks..." (source)

Matt Drudge has this posted from Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: 'We held back some of this conversation... we didn't feel it had any relevance to the conversation this evening. We are not out to get Jesse Jackson. We are not out to embarrass him and we are not out to make him look bad. If we were, we would have used what we had, which is more damaging than what you have heard'... (source)

That's not fair Bill, now we want to know what he said... I am dying to know what all the seasoned politicos are saying about the neophyte Barack behind the scenes.

Ashamed of ALL War

Most pro-security Americans (like myself) feel confident that although war should be avoided if at all possible...it's often a necessary evil. It seems like simple common sense to strive for peace, but realize it's an ideal that would be virtually impossible to achieve in a non-Utopian world. Obviously war produces tragedy on mass levels --but often the alternative does as well. I assumed it was a universal sentiment to acknowledge the benefits of the Civil War, WWII and the Bosnian War among others. I assumed that putting an end to genocide and freeing people from slavery would be seen as worthy endeavors by even the looniest lefty... I was wrong.

The other day as I was driving a local, 'classic rock' station was on (93.3 WMMR) and John Cougar John Cougar Mellencamp John Cougarcamp John Mellencamp was being interviewed. I came in on the exchange just as he was saying that "we should be ashamed and against ALL war." That this shame "should include the Civil War, the Revolutionary War and WWII." He went on to impart his "playground philosophy" with the classic rock audience. "If kids can work something out without fighting on the playground, then there is no need for war...it all goes back to the playground." I swear. That's what he said. He also said he wrote The Americans mocking how Americans want everything summed up nice and neat...

Well, what could we possibly expect from someone that named his sons "Hud" and "Speck."

Eavesdrop on Some Chick Chat?

So...It seems that I have created a 'Flag Cake Dynasty' by winning the Flag Cake Smackdown contest and keep the chimeric trophy in the family.

I will be on the Chick Chat radio show with Heidi and Laura at approximately 12:30 pm EST today.

If you decide to listen...don't give me crap about my accent --I'm from Philly yo! :)

UPDATE: Sorry guys, it was taped today and will air next week some time. I'll let you know the date and time...