This Is Pretty Amazing...

Michelle Malkin has the story of a young lady who gets it.

Kinda gives one hope for the future.

Remembering The Heroes

As we pass into a new year let's take time to pay tribute to the brave men and women who sacrifice each and every day to keep us safe and free.

We've posted a montage featuring the troops and everyday Americans supporting them with our song 'Thank You'.

When we recorded our CD this song was extra special to us. We have an extra dose of love and respect for those serving and those waiting for them to come home safe.

We also wanted to let the troops know that America loves and supports them and the mission. Please pass this along to any servicemen or women you know as encouragement for the days to come.

So as we celebrate the passing of the old and the coming of the new let's pause and reflect on those who serve us and make it possible for us to celebrate.

Especially those who have given all and their families.

Happy New Year
MJ & Jake

**The usual caveats apply, I think all the photos are public domain, however, should you see a copyrighted photo in the montage you want me to remove, please let me know and I will do so immediately. Thanks, Jake**

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The Iowa Voice The Big Dog MVRWC Something & 1/2 Of Something

Support The Troops
Patriotism
Veterans
Respect

Ghada Jamshir: Islamic Voice for Women's Rights

I bet you've never heard of Ghada Jamshir. Neither had I, until I read this post and watched the video for myself.

A Muslim woman, hounded for her “heresy” in speaking out against this issue, goes to town on this male interviewer’s ass about everything from “pleasure marriages” to female circumcision! It’s a beautiful thing to see. And she ends with a bang (so be sure to watch it all). I was cheering by the end!

I was cheering by the end too! This woman kicks ass and takes names. This woman is a shining example of why we have to do all we can to promote freedom and democracy in the Middle East.
Kit at Euphoric Reality gets the virtual hat tip for this story.

Ghada Jamshir gets my real-life, actual, honest-to-God hat tip for being my new hero. You rock!
Strong Women
Women's Rights
Islam
Female Circumcision
Middle East

Profiles In Courage & Dhimmitude

Oriana Fallaci.

Do you know who that is?

Oriana commenced her lifelong insurrection against totalitarianism early, fighting the Axis powers as part of the Resistance. For her actions, the fascists tortured her father, who defiantly refused to collaborate. The lesson stuck. Oriana smuggled weapons to anti-Hitler forces within Germany. After Mussolini received his just deserts, she became a journalist, acting as a war correspondent in Vietnam. In the following decades, she would earn a reputation as one of the world’s most probing interviewers.

After all this she settled into a semi-retirement only to be rudely jerked back into the all too real world by the events of 9-11. She immediately launched into a campaign against radical Islam, writing several books absolutely devastating to Islamo-fascism.

Her reward?

Her frank truthfulness was also too much for the sensibilities of unfree Europe. In 2002, she faced charges in France that her book The Rage and the Pride promoted “racism,” the plaintiffs apparently unaware “Muslim” is not a racial designation. (Fallaci supported Operation Iraqi Freedom to give Arabs the gift of self-determination.)

Two years later, she learned she would face similar charges in her native Italy, over the same book. In April 2004, an Italian leftist judge allowed the Muslim-instigated lawsuit to go forward on the grounds that her works were “without doubt offensive to Islam and to those who practice that religious faith.” However, FrontPage Magazine columnist Robert Spencer has examined the allegedly “offensive” passages that “defame Islam” – 18 in all – and found each one undeniably rooted in Islamic theology and history.

Welcome to the Dhimmi paradise!

I sincerely hope we don't help these bastards (Italy & France) when they find their nuts in the Jihad cruncher. Enjoy your Dhimmitude boys, I hear the Jizya isn't too onerous.

Read more here.

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The Iowa Voice The Big Dog MVRWC Something & 1/2 Of Something

Oriana Fallaci
Dhimmitude
Italy
France
Jihad

Freedom From Religion?

This just in: Navy Chaplains' not allowed to pray in Jesus name!

Thank goodness for government bureacracy and it's unceasing efforts to keep us safe from that dang Jesus fellow.

Navy chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt is now on a hunger strike. He announced the hunger strike in front of the White House, here's an excerpt...

“During these holidays people practice many diverse faith's but it seems the war against Christmas has taken a turn for the worse, and now it’s become a war against the name of Jesus himself. I am a Navy Chaplain that may soon be kicked out of the Navy because I pray publicly “in Jesus name.”

Admirals from the Pentagon, claiming to speak for the President of the United States, have already stripped me of my uniform and forbid me to pray in Jesus name in public unless I’m wearing civilian clothes.

The Chief of Navy Chaplains told me in writing that if I pray publicly “in Jesus name” that I’m denigrating other faiths. That same week he told the Washington Post “we never tell chaplains how to pray,”because we don’t want to violate their First Amendment rights. His public statements and private statements contradict.

Go here to read more.

We can't back this one a hundred and ten percent as yet, but it smells true.


Navy Chaplain
Gordon James Klingenschmitt
Freedom Of Religion
Hunger Strike

Two Days 'Til The Bald Chick Book

Yes! It's a shameless plug, from a shameless chick!

I am self-publishing my book, The Bald Chick: Life Outside the Comfort Zone. It will be available as an e-book on January 1st on my website.

What's it all about, I hear you cry? And, in response, I give you the first few paragraphs. I am such a tease...

WOW! A bald woman! Now that’s something you don’t see every day. Well, I see it every day…when I look in the mirror and The Bald Chick stares back at me. I like her. I even think she’s kinda groovy, but I may have some small bias on the subject. At any rate, there are plenty of people who haven’t yet reached my level of acceptance.

Some of them appear unable to get past the initial shock of seeing a bald woman stroll into their comfortable lives. Some have gotten past the shock, but can’t seem to make up their minds as to what they think about it. Some probably harbor resentment towards me because I am clearly very comfortable without the hair -- and without their approval. Still others, I’m sure, think that I’m a poor soul so desperate for attention that I’d shave my head to get it.

Whatever their initial gut reaction is, though, I’d bet cash money that what they all want to know, perhaps despite themselves, is this one simple thing: why the #$&!@ did I shave my head? Why in the world would a seemingly intelligent, relatively rational young woman shave her head? It’s a valid question. While seeing a man with a proudly shaven head strolling down the street has become quite common, a woman is another matter entirely. My shiny pate seems to cause not only questions, but also incredulity, alarm, and sometimes even anger. So let’s start out by clearing up a few obvious misapprehensions about my lack of hair.

I do not have cancer or alopecia. I am not a Buddhist. I am not the victim of a terrible industrial accident. I am not (officially) mentally ill. I did not lose a bet. I did not “slip” while shaving my armpits. I do not have a disturbing and inexplicable desire to resemble a light bulb. I have not embarked on a fervent but misguided mission to get myself cast in an embarrassingly bad sci-fi project. While I do find Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Andre Agassi, Patrick Stewart, Vin Diesel and Michael Chiklis madly attractive, my own willful baldness is in no way homage to any of the aforementioned stud muffins.

Intrigued? A girl can hope...

Bald Chick
Bald Women
Shaving
Book Release
Weird Stuff

The Unhinged: Friday Files

Matthew Yglesias from the American Prospect would like to explain a couple of things to us.

Shhh, let's listen in...

THE LIBERAL HAWKS' LAMENT.

On a related note, I find the sort of self-pity of hawkish Democrats reflected in this post from Marshall Wittman a bit baffling:

The Moose would readily sign up for the Democratic Party of FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ and Scoop. Alas, it doesn't exist and there is no sign that it will return anytime soon. And it is hard to believe that any of those great Democrats would recognize their party. Neither party represents their followers. Progressive hawks dwell in a political Diaspora.

That's absurd. Progressive Iraq hawks are hardly some beleaguered minority. They compose maybe ten percent of the population at most, but count among their number the Democrats' 2004 presidential nominee, their 2004 vice presidential nominee, the last Democrat to serve as president, the minority leader of the United States Senate, the minority whip in the House, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the leading candidate for the 2008 presidential nomination, the ranking members of the House Armed Services and International Relations Committees, a majority of Senate Democrats, the country's most prominent foreign affairs columnist, and all of the leading candidates for foreign policy jobs in the hypothetical Kerry administration.

Considering that their views have virtually no support in the country, that's an awful lot of power and influence inside the Democratic Party. There's been a very strange effort on the part of these people to re-write history to make themselves out to be some kind of beleaguered minority watching from the sidelines as a militantly dovish Democratic Party goes down in defeat after defeat. But Democrats were following their advice during the fiasco of 2002, and it was their people who went down to defeat in 2004. If Democratic doves have gained strength since then, it's because the war keeps going badly and the hawks' promises to lead the party into the electoral promised land keep turning out wrong.

--Matthew Yglesias

Thus endeth the lesson.

loony left
Matthew Yglesias
The American Prospect
Progressive Hawks?

Chicagoans Protest Lipinski's "YES" on HR4437

Hispanic community activists gathered Wednesday in front of the office of U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) on the Southwest Side to protest his vote for a bill that would impose stricter regulations on undocumented immigrants and make illegal entry into the country a criminal act.

Read the Trib article here.

"The Mexican community is incensed by his voting in the bill," said Juan Salgado, director of the non-profit Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "Immigration is one of the main reasons Chicago continues to be prosperous ... This is just not sensible."

OK, first of all, Salgado managed to lose the ILLEGAL that was supposed to be in front of his "immigration." Don't feel bad, Juan -- you're far from alone.

But let's rewind to the previous sentence. "The Mexican community is incensed by his voting in the bill." The Mexican community? Since when is someone elected to the U.S. House of Representatives supposed to answer to the Mexican community?

If you're a Mexican citizen and you're here illegally, you not only don't get a say, you need to go the &#$! home.

If you're a Mexican citizen and you're here legally, thank you for abiding by our laws, but you still don't get a say.

If you're an American citizen and consider yourself part of the Mexican community, perhaps you should try looking up the words "American" and "citizen" -- you may find it informative and educational. And may I recommend a little homework on the subject before you exercise your say?

If you're an American citizen and you know that you aren't part of the Mexican community, then your say wasn't even addressed in this article. I recommend contacting the author about that.

Change is needed because the congressman has not sufficiently addressed the concerns of the Hispanic population in the 3rd District, which covers parts of the Southwest Side and surrounding suburbs, Salgado said.

About 21 percent of the district's approximately 653,600 people considered themselves Hispanic, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, Mr. Salgado, but 21% Hispanic in 2000 does not indicate that Lipinski voted against the wishes of the majority of his district. He just didn't vote how you and the ICIRR wanted him to vote.

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Illegal Immigration
HR4437
Border Security
Undocumented Workers
Daniel Lipinski

Callin' Lefty

I was just checking out the RealPlayer site looking for a media device to install on our website.

Scrolling down the page, on the very bottom and, ironically on the right hand side, are the news services they suggest. Take a peek.

It's, Oh My God!

Florida Teenager's Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq

Maybe it was the time the taxi dumped him at the Iraq-Kuwait border, leaving him alone in the middle of the desert. Or when he drew a crowd at a Baghdad food stand after using an Arabic phrase book to order. Or the moment a Kuwaiti cab driver almost punched him in the face when he balked at the $100 fare.

But at some point, Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.

And he didn't even tell his parents.

Read the whole story of Hassan's misadventure here.

He experienced more than he wanted, and certainly more than was OK by his mother, who said:

"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."

Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death.

His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone."

Who can blame him?

Iraq
Teenagers
Adventure
Parenting Headaches

Your Tax Dollars...

Workers kill statehouse Christmas tree

Mandated fire-retardant application snuffs out blue spruce

-- It's a Charlie Brown Christmas for Rhode Island's official Christmas tree.

The 18-foot Colorado blue spruce lost its needles and died after Statehouse workers dried it with commercial fans and sprayed it with a fire-retardant chemical. The workers were following the stringent new fire code enacted after a nightclub blaze in
West Warwick three years ago killed 100 people.

Bettencourt and a team of farmers rushed Thursday to get a replacement tree. The task proved complicated because the law also requires a fire marshal to be on hand when a tree destined for public display is cut down, to ensure freshness.

"This one will not be sprayed," promised Steve Kass, a spokesman for the
governor.

It's safe, dead, but safe.

This Is Kinda Cool

More Indians Taking Part in State Politics

WALKER, Minn. - Irene Folstrom traveled a long way from the Indian reservation where she was born — to Stanford University, then on to law school at Cornell.

Tribal members often urged her to bring her talents back home to help tackle drugs, gangs and violence on the impoverished Ojibwe reservation. But Folstrom would just smile and nod — until her uncle was stabbed to death on the Leech Lake reservation and a cousin was killed by a drunken driver. *snip*

Leech Lake tribal chairman George Goggleye, who backs Folstrom, blames the dearth of Indian lawmakers on racism, lack of political experience and money, and the tribes' relatively small numbers. Nighthorse Campbell suggested another reason: hostility toward the U.S. political system. He said that when he first ran for office, militant Indian friends questioned why he would get involved with a government they viewed as the enemy.

MJ & I were fortunate enough to make several good Native American friends when we lived out west. The poverty these folks deal with is staggering and long standing.

Unfortunately we also saw the hatred and bitterness that led to so much alcoholism and heartbreak. We also saw the self defeating mistrust of the 'White Man's' government. Much like any other ethnic group the only way to make your way in this country is through representation.

I wish them well.

Native Americans

Mt. Soledad cross case seems settled

A plan to move it gets tentative OK

The Mount Soledad cross would be taken down and moved to a church or other privately owned land under a tentative agreement presented to the San Diego City Council in a closed meeting yesterday. The proposed deal to end a 15-year legal fight has the support of the American Civil Liberties Union, the lawyer for the self-described atheist who filed the federal lawsuit challenging the cross' presence on city-owned land and the Mount Soledad Association, which maintains the 43-foot-tall cross and a veterans memorial around it. Federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the cross violates the California Constitution's "no preference clause," which prohibits religious symbols on public land. *snip*

Jordan Budd, managing attorney for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties, said relocating the cross and allowing the association to keep the land as a nonsectarian memorial is the least complicated option. The ACLU joined McElroy in handling court appeals of the cross litigation. "We would prefer that the city not destroy the cross but remove it to some other venue, somehow place it in the hands of a private party that would like to display the cross on private land," Budd said. *snip*

Reading this makes me think about growing up in the restaurant business. When I was a kid I worked for mostly single unit restaurants, often working elbow to elbow with the owner. When there was a dispute we worked it out.

As I rose through the ranks I ended up working at some of the fanciest hotels. Now instead of working things out like normal human beings, the lawyers got involved, which is pretty much my definition of inhuman.

Instead of the owner telling me he'd fire my ass if I did something stupid a second time, we were inundated with Sensitivity Trainings. Instead of the owner smacking me upside my thick head when I screwed something up, I had to suffer through all day Total Quality Control meetings that verged on the bizarre.

I have a friend who's a lawyer, he often tells me that we'd be in a world of hurt without lawyers. I think he's full of crap. Here's the problem, lawyers, though not entirely human are people too, with opinions. So now, like a drunken five year old stumbling around with a loaded .45 we have lawyers and lawyer groups attempting to run this nation through force, fraud and intimidation.

And they know that any recourse would most likely break the average American. Nice to have the game fixed up front, very nice.

The shame to me in this situation is that this cross only incidentally references jesus. Yes it's a cross, yes the cross is a Christian symbol, but in this context it takes on another meaning.

William Kellogg, the association's president, said his group would prefer to keep the cross in place, "but that appears to be impossible at this point. "Our goal is to honor veterans, whatever happens," he said, and keeping the site as a memorial would make that possible.

The cross in a graveyard reminds us of our salvation in the face of cruel death. This cross, the Mt. Soledad cross serves a different purpose...

Respect.

Shame some certain atheist asshats have none.

"We would prefer that the city not destroy the cross but remove it to some other venue, somehow place it in the hands of a private party that would like to display the cross on private land," Budd said.

h/t Tanker Brothers

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Mt. Soledad Cross
ACLU
Veterans
Philip Paulson
atheist asshats

I'm Callin' This One

Want to see WWIII?

Iran Fiddles While Russia Burns

I don't know what to make of this story: Iran now seems rather interested in the same Russian proposal they had earlier sorta-kinda rejected (without actually rejecting -- since Iran is very dependent upon their long-time patron, Russia/USSR). In this proposal, Russia would do all the Uranium enrichment for Iran, receiving the raw ore and shipping the refined nuclear fuel back.

More holocaust denial from the Tehran Times

Sad, but it must be a weekly feature at the Tehran Times, the World Weekly News (where Bat Boy Lives!) of Middle East journalism. This time the Times, a tool of the Iranian government, drags out Australian holocaust denier Frederick Toben to spill his sewage onto the internet.Toben says that the holocaust was "a lie" and Israel was built on that "lie."

Brotherhood chief: Holocaust a myth

The Iranian clown is not alone in his Holocaust denial ravings. If that's indeed the picture some people were trying to present - here comes his spiritual brother from Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. It's interesting how his Holocaust denial is formulated: "We don't have confirmed things to enable us to prove this matter or refute it," he said.Meaning, probably, that the learned Muslim Brotherhood's department of Holocaust studies has not yet amassed sufficient scientific material to make a decision on the whole issue.

Look, these folks are hot to destroy Israel, and like super-villains the world over they are stupid enought to tell us all about it.

The question is simple. When it comes to nut crunching time, what will we do?

We, the west hung the Jews out to dry once before, and have yet to fully live down the shame.

I believed my grandfather when he told me once that nobody could believe such a thing was possible.

But now we know better.

The Muslim nations surrounding Israel have made their desires perfectly clear. Though I believe many are trying their damnedest to ignore that direct message.

The jews coined a phrase after the horrors of the concentration camps. A phrase we would do well to heed.

Never Again.

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Israel
Iran
Muslim Brotherhood
Holocaust+Denial
WW3

Join Up! Join Up!

I signed up for this a couple of days ago and meant to blog about it, but forgot...

Mea culpa. I am a bad man.

Anywho, I'm sure your familiar with douchebag extraordinaire Fred Phelps and his merry band of psychopaths.

Well another organization has stepped up to offer respect to our fallen servicemen and women.

The Patriot Guard Riders

If you allege to be a patriotic American I want you to brush the cheezie-poof crumbs off your chest right this second, turn off the GD TV and go sign up for this.

Respect is all we can offer these mourning families and by god, we ought to.

Let me anticipate any whining about football games and such nonsense. You don't own a VCR?

One of the nicest things about projects like this are the people you meet, amazing, amazing folks.

Wall Of Respect is doing something similar.

Go get'em patriots!


Patriot Guard Riders

War In Iraq
Soldiers
Respect

Simon Cowell: Cruel?

I agree with most of this article but one paragraph jumped off the page at me.

For instance, with each new episode of Survivor they soak up, aren't we teaching kids that duplicity and betrayal are character traits to be rewarded? For every gratuitous tongue-lashing they hear delivered by American Idol judge Simon Cowell, aren't we saying it's OK to be cruel? Doesn't The Apprentice tell them that cutthroat is the only way to go?

Having never watched Survivor I don't feel qualified to offer an opinion, though from what I've heard I tend to agree that the show seemed to play to our base and prurient interests. We did watch one season of 'The Amazing Race'. Mostly enjoyed it with the exception of the contrived back biting.

But Simon Cowell? We watched the first two seasons of the show and mostly enjoyed them and I always found Simon's take very honest. Brutally honest perhaps, but honest.

I think frank honesty makes people uncomfortable these days. Not everybody should be in the band. Not everybody has the talent or drive to make it to the big time. That's okay, to me it's not about failure but reality, and reality is a very good thing.

Was Simon cruel? I never saw it, tough, sure, but not cruel. To me cruelty is a statement designed to hurt or wound the person. When he judged a perfomance I found myself nodding my head, as a former professional musician who has suffered through a couple of hundred auditions I can assure you I've heard a lot worse than anything Simon said.

The truth of the matter is that honesty at that level serves a purpose. It will reveal to you the truth in your heart. For some, it will be the spur they need to take it to the next level. Perhaps they will get more training, they might practice harder, get new teacher, whatever it takes. The other option is others will give up, and I think that can be a very good thing.

The problem with this attitude of never hurting anybody is that at some point we must face reality. Some people really can't sing, others really shouldn't be on stage, yet some misguided soft heads think their doing these poor sods a favor by lying to them about their abilities.

Here's a hint Paula...they're not.

American Idol
Simon Cowell
The Hard truth

Samuel Alito & The Abortion Debate

I haven't weighed in on this at all.

Our friendly neighborhood troll challenged me recently to stop blathering on about ILLEGAL immigration and talk about something important like Abortion.

The level of hysteria is high...

Arghh!

Eeeeek!

Whooo!

I feel a temptation to get wound up into flights of rhetorical fancy. Tie those who support the heinous dismembering of babies into knots of Gordian logic.

But alas, there's truly nothing to debate here.

Abortion is murder most heinous. Dress it up any way you want, it don't get any prettier. Just to cover some well trod ground, whether you call it -- choice, a health issue, a right...

What you end up with is this. (NSFW or your mental health, however, if you support abortion and won't look at these photos I call you a dishonest coward)

If you can look at these and still go on your merry way, well, that scares me more than a little bit, and I write horror!

I along with a lot of Americans am ready to see abortion go away. I hate it. I hate the cost that's so glibly glossed over by supporters, the cost to the women, who, whether they'll admit it or not grieve for the murdered child the rest of their days.

I've made this point before but I think it bears repeating. In ancient Rome there was a law called the Pater Familia. The basic idea was that dear old Dad held the right of life or death over his entire family. Should you displease Dad he could kill you.

I need someone to explain the difference to me 'cuz I don't see it. I know the bearers of hairy armpits would say..."That Roman law is just male hegemony and typical male power structures run amok."

Yet, who wields that kind of power over life and death today?

One other thing. The whole when does it become life argument. Allow me to dismantle that in three sentences or less. It's the moment there's cellular activity you asshats, what? did you think when the cells started dividing there was a chance a sofa set might pop out of the nice ladies uterus?

Please...Its just insulting, and for the scientists who've tried to buttress this ridiculous argument, look, I know research scientists require porsches and arm candy, but couldn't you invent a new pee-pee hardening drug or something?

Thanks.

h/t SleepyGeek via Euphoric reality

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Samuel Alito
Abortion
Murder

Elites Vs. Schlubs

If you read this blog you are well aware that I take after the Daddy Warbucks with a passion for being Cappucino breathed weasels.

The Center For Immigration Studies was nice enough to supply some numbers...

Read article here.

* The results of the survey indicate that the gap between the opinions of the American people on immigration and those of their leaders is enormous. The poll found that 60 percent of the public regards the present level of immigration to be a "critical threat to the vital interests of the United States," compared to only 14 percent of the nation?s leadership ? a 46 percentage point gap.

* The current gap is even wider than that found in 1998, when 55 percent of the public viewed immigration as a "critical threat," compared to 18 percent of opinion leaders ? a 37 percentage point gap.

* The poll results indicate that there is no other foreign policy-related issue on which the American people and their leaders disagreed more profoundly than immigration. Even on such divisive issues as globalization or strengthening the United Nations, the public and the elite are much closer together than they are on immigration.

* When asked a specific question about whether legal immigration should be reduced, kept the same, or increased, 55 percent of the public said it should be reduced, and 27 percent said it should remain the same. In contrast, only 18 percent of opinion leaders said it should be reduced and 60 percent said it should remain the same. There was no other issue-specific question on which the public and elites differed more widely.

* The enormous difference between elite and public opinion can also be seen on the issue of illegal immigration. The survey found that 70 percent of the public said that reducing illegal immigration should be a "very important" foreign-policy goal of the United States, compared to only 22 percent of elites.

* Also with respect to illegal immigration, when the public was asked to rank the biggest foreign policy problems, the public ranked illegal immigration sixth, while elites ranked it 26th.

* The very large difference between elite and public opinion explains the current
political stalemate on immigration. For example, supporters of an amnesty for illegal immigrants have broad elite support ranging from religious to business and union leaders. Normally elite support of this kind would lead to policy changes, but on this issue public opposition is so strong that it creates a political stalemate.

* Continued deep public dissatisfaction with current immigration policy indicates that candidates or political parties that advocate a reduction in immigration might reap a significant political benefit. This is especially true because it could be marketed as "anti-elite" and more in sync with the American people, a message that has traditionally been well received by voters.

* President Bush?s efforts to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants appear to be hurting him politically. While 53 percent of the public said his handling of foreign policy overall was excellent or good, on immigration only 27 percent said his handling of immigration was good or excellent; moreover, 70 percent rated Bush as poor or fair on immigration. the lowest rating he received on any foreign policy-related issue.

Study breakdown here.

It seems pretty clear to me that the people on the poopy end of the stick here have made their wishes more than clear. What will it take to make our elected officials hear us?

Post 9-11 our constitutionally elected asshats have...

* Dick Gephardt, then-House Democratic Minority Leader, proposed in October 2002 an amnesty for most of the 8.5 million illegal aliens in the country. The White House has also indicated its desire for amnesty, although at least so far only the three to four million illegal aliens from Mexico would be eligible. The administration also wishes to create a new guest worker program for Mexicans.

* President George W. Bush has repeatedly pressured Congress to pass an amnesty for perhaps 500,000 to a million illegal aliens under a provision known as Section 245(i).

Utah Republicans Sen. Orin Hatch and Rep. Chris Cannon are leading a vigorous
effort to let illegal aliens pay in-state tuition to attend college.

* Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) succeeded in moving a bill through the House Judiciary Committee to make it much easier for immigrants convicted of
felonies to remain in the United States.

* Senate Democrats inserted without debate into the Homeland Security bill provisions that reversed changes to asylum procedures enacted in 1996. The changes would have again allowed a larger share of applicants for asylum to be paroled into the country rather than remaining in detention.

And this is from 2002, just imagine the asshattery since then, the mind boggles.

If this issue is important to you, then take comfort in this...

It was this sense that the electorate is demanding real immigration enforcement, and would no longer be fooled by the usual cliches and bromides, that led the House leadership to craft a relatively strong bill and stand fast in the face of business opposition. Even the White House strongly endorsed the Sensenbrenner legislation. Public fury has moved the center on immigration in Congress so much that Rep. Tom Tancredo, who has worked for years to get his colleagues to take the issue seriously, was able to sit back last week and let others do the heavy lifting for a change.

Let me challenge you dear reader. If you've never taken the time to call your Congresscritter now would be a good time to start.

NumbersUSA keeps an eye on things for us working schlubs. And if you sign up for their newsletter they'll give you the skinny on which Congresscritters are selling you out.


illegal immigration
Center For Immigration Studies
Opinion Polls
Elite Opinion

Religion vs. Culture in Public Schools

Parents and children challenging a California school district for its practice of teaching 12-year-old students to "become Muslims" are asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its ruling in front of the entire panel of judges.

Read the entire article here. Read my previous coverage of this case here.

I remember being taught about other countries and cultures throughout my school years. It was a good thing. This, however, is not exposing children to the traditions of the culture of another country -- it is immersing them in the traditions of a religion:

The (Thomas More) Law Center says that for three weeks, "impressionable 12-year-old students" were, among other things, placed into Islamic city groups; took Islamic names; wore identification tags that displayed their new Islamic name and the star and crescent moon; handed materials that instructed them to 'Remember Allah always so that you may prosper'; completed the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, including fasting; and memorized and recited the 'Bismillah' or 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,' which students also wrote on banners hung on the classroom walls.

Students also played "jihad games" during the course, which was part of the school's world history and geography program.

This clearly crosses a line that we, as a society, have drawn for our public schools. We do not teach religion in that environment.

I'm sure there are all kinds of arguments some would throw at me (not to mention some nasty names, maybe even epithets) for pointing this out. But the litmus test is really quite simple, and offers a simple answer to this question:

Would the very people who are up in arms that these parents would dare to challenge this being taught to their children in public school be comfortable if their children were being immersed -- for three weeks, and without their knowledge -- in the teachings, traditions, and prayers of Judaism or Christianity?

I think not.

And for those who still insist that this was cultural, rather than religious:

The lawsuit also alleges students were encouraged to use such phrases in their speech as "Allahu Akbar," which is Arabic for "God is greatest," and were required to fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Nevertheless, Judge Hamilton ruled the program was devoid of "any devotional or religious intent" and was, therefore, educational, not religious in nature.

Oh, come on! I'll tell you what. Let's try implementing a three-week program where we encourage the same students to use phrases such as "Christ is Exalted," and require them to give something up to simulate Lent, or take bread & grape juice to simulate communion.

I wonder if Judge Hamilton would rule that devoid of any devotional or religious intent and educational, not religious in nature?

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Public Schools
Islam
Religion
9th Circuit Court

Justice for Hurricane Relief Thieves

49 People Accused of Bilking Red Cross of Hurricane Katrina Aid

The fake claims drained at least $200,000 from the fund, with an average payout of about $1,000, Red Cross spokeswoman Devorah Goldburg said. The total could rise as the investigation continues, she said.

*SNIP*

The indicted employees were providing PIN numbers to their friends and family who would then go to Western Union to collect the funds, Scott said in October.

"Sometimes they'd give a victim a PIN number and turn around and call a buddy with the same PIN, and there'd be a race to Western Union," he said.

Why not kill two birds with one stone here? Anyone convicted of this despicable crime should be sentenced to help rebuild New Orleans without compensation. They could replace one of the many ILLEGAL immigrants working there now. The employer would pay to ship the ILLEGAL worker back where they came from, and then keep the difference in that cost and what they would have paid the worker had they continued to be scumbag employers of ILLEGAL immigrants.

Sounds win/win to me.

Hurricane Katrina
Red Cross
Illegal Immigration
Justice

Mealy-Mouthed Catholic Support for Illegal Immigration

A friend sent me this link on The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.

Evidently, January 8-14th is the 25th anniversay of "National Migration Week." I've never heard of it, but it got my attention. Migration is a pretty broad word, especially these days, so I read on.

The theme for 2006, as pictured at left, is "Journey to Justice."

Bishop Gerald R. Barnes elaborates as follows:

I invite you to join in the 25th anniversary observance of National Migration Week. The theme for 2006 is Journey to Justice, a journey which each of us is called to make in solidarity with migrants, immigrants, refugees, human trafficking victims, and other people on the move seeking justice and peace. As the U.S. bishops wrote with our brother bishops from Mexico in the pastoral letter "Strangers No Longer, Together on the Journey of Hope":

From its founding to the present, the United States remains a nation of immigrants grounded in the firm belief that newcomers offer new energy, hope and cultural diversity. Our common faith in Jesus Christ moves us to search for ways that favor a spirit of solidarity. It is a faith that transcends borders and bids us to overcome all forms of discrimination and violence so that we may build relationships that are just and loving.

Yeah, this is right about when my hackles go up. I know the church can be quite fond of political correctness and, to be frank, I just don't think the bishop is coming out and saying what he means here.

I'm down with faith transcending borders, but I get the feeling he might be lumping illegals in with faith when he talks about transcending borders. Again, I'm all for building relationships that are just, but I'm not sure he wouldn't include someone entering the country illegally in his definition of just relationships.

The bishop provides a link to "find out more about the campaign." It's called Justice for Immigrants.

What I'm really trying to find out, of course, is...

Does the Catholic Church support illegal immigration?

The Catholic Bishops do not condone unlawful entry or circumventions of our nation’s immigration laws. The bishops believe that reforms are necessary in order for our nation’s immigration system to respond to the realities of separated families and labor demands that compel people to immigrate to the United States, whether in an authorized or unauthorized fashion.

Our nation’s economy demands foreign labor, yet there are insufficient visas to meet this demand. Close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents face interminable separations, sometimes of twenty years or longer, due to backlogs of available visas. U.S. immigration laws and policies need to be updated to reflect these realities.

Yeah, that's what I thought. The answer is: no, BUT...

My next question?

Does the Catholic Church support “amnesty”?

The Catholic bishops are proposing an earned legalization for those in this country in an unauthorized status and who have built up equities and are otherwise admissible. “Amnesty,” as commonly understood, implies a pardon and a reward for those who did not obey immigration laws, creating inequities for those who wait for legal entry. The bishops’ proposal is not an “amnesty.”

The Bishops’ earned legalization proposal provides a window of opportunity for undocumented immigrants who are already living in our communities and contributing to our nation to come forward, pay a fine and application fee, go through rigorous criminal background checks and security screenings, demonstrate that they have paid taxes and are learning English, and obtain a visa that could lead to permanent residency, over time.

Yeah, that's what I thought. The answer is: YES, but we're not going to just come out and say it, silly!

They say one thing, but mean another. They talk all around an answer without really giving one. They support something that is vastly unpopular with the American public, but plan to go right ahead with it anyway. Should they ever decide to answer a lower calling, I think the world of politics would welcome them with open arms.

And if you really want proof of their readiness for the world of politics, check out their immigration myths page. In it they list many of the common beefs that common citizens have with ILLEGAL immigration, then proceed to "debunk" them (with very old figures, no less) as if they were complaints leveled at all immigrants.

I have no doubt that there are plenty of Catholics out there who don't agree with this soft-headed pile of you-know-what. I just hope they're talking loudly about it because, if they're not, these guys are apparently more than happy to talk out both sides of their mouths for them.

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Illegal Immigration
Catholic Church
Amnesty
Politics

Bye-Bye, Berghoff!

For generations, diners with a craving for apple strudel or a stein of cold German beer have sidled up to the bar at The Berghoff Restaurant, which is closing after 107 years in business, its owners announced Wednesday.

"We share the sadness that many feel about the closing of the restaurant," Herman Berghoff, 70, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Jan, said in a statement.

Sadness, indeed. Read the whole story here.

The restaurant's history is intermingled with Chicago's. It was such a downtown staple that after Prohibition ended in December 1933, the city issued The Berghoff Liquor License No. 1.

Herman Joseph Berghoff, a German immigrant, and his three brothers began brewing Berghoff Beer in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1887, according to the restaurant's Web site. Six years later, he sold it to fairgoers at The Chicago World's Fair, and in 1898 he opened a cafe to showcase the beer, which sold for a nickel.

If you've ever been to Berghoff, you know that Chicago will be losing a fine eatery but, more importantly, a piece of history and a fond reminder of days gone by. If you've never been, and have the opportunity to do so before their doors close on February 28th, you won't regret it.

Have an extra bite of sausage and sauerkraut for me, willya?

Berghoff
Chicago
Prohibition
Tradition

Do The Right Thing

My Homie Dragon Master Gunner @ Tanker Bros. has a good piece up today.

My favorite bit...

Doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. To me, that's a hero. And you don't need a ribbon or a shiny piece of metal do do that, or to remind you that you did the right thing.

read the whole thing here.

Shhh, don't tell anybody but...I think he's a hero!


Tanker+Brothers
Dragon Master Gunner
Medal Of Honor
War On Terror

Free Jack Idema Blogburst

Although we're getting a little now, Christmas in Britain passed
without
so much as a dusting of snow. Not so in Afghanistan, as we can see from
this photograph, taken from
inside the Pulacharke prison compound. The mountains, in particular,
give a nice, Christmassy feel to the scene, as do the three or four
inches of white stuff covering the ground.

In fact, the only things that really spoil this vista are the
watchtowers, the prison bars and the knowledge that, behind them, are
three American patriots -- Special Forces soldier Jack
Idema, his right-hand man, Brent
Bennet, and journalist Ed
Caraballo.

Jack, Brent and Ed were originally sentenced to a decade in prison
after
a chaotic show trail in September 2004. Their judges were members of
the
Taliban regime who'd crept back into the new Afghan government.
More worrying, perhaps, the bearded crazies were assisted by groups
within the FBI and U.S. State Department, who disappeared evidence and
collaborated with the men who tortured Jack, Brent and Ed. Since the
trail, there have been numerous assassination attempts mounted against
Idema and his men by the Taliban and al-Qaeda scumbags they are being
held with.
Most disturbing of all, however, is the fact that all three men were
declared innocent after a retrial almost exactly a year ago. Now,
granted, there are bound to be some differences between our legal
systems and the one in Afghanistan, but we're pretty sure one thing
they
do have in common is the notion that locking up completely
innocent people isn't acceptable ...

Read more @ Cao's blog

jack idema
afghanistan
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for Jack Idema

The MSM Propaganda Game

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they keep a tally of who writes the most and best misleading/slanted headlines to determine who gets the biggest bonus at the end of the year. Because the MSM knows there is power in headlines like this:

Israeli Jets Hit Militant Base in Lebanon

Oh, no, the world cries! Israel is blowing things up again! Until, of course, you read the very first paragraph and find out that...

Israeli jets blasted a Palestinian militant group's base a few miles outside the Lebanese capital Beirut on Wednesday, hours after rockets fired from Lebanon hit a northern Israeli border town. (Emphasis is mine...but you already guessed that, didn't you?)

I guess the fact that Israel was retaliating -- AGAIN -- wasn't important enough to include in the attention-grabbing headline. And, speaking of propaganda, why do think it is that the Israeli jets blasted, while the pro-Palestinian rockets only hit?

In their deepest strike into Lebanon in 18 months, the Israeli planes attacked a base of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, a small, Syrian-backed group that has been fighting the Jewish state for decades.

Ah, the art of propaganda in action...use words that can't be dismissed by definition, but which suggest connotative meaning, adding color and nuance "under the radar." Note that the Israelis strike and attack, while the small pro-Palestine group has been fighting...for decades.

You have to wade all the way through this story to the last two paragraphs to find out what the PFLP-GC is about. Oh, you get a few details about their leaders, their bases, etc. But it isn't until the very end that you get this salient info:

The PFLP-GC gained notoriety with a string of bloody incidents since it was formed in 1968: It has hijacked an Israeli airliner, machine-gunned another at Zurich's airport, and blown up a Tel Aviv-bound Swissair plane, killing all 47 aboard.

In one of its spectacular attacks on Israel, a PFLP-GC fighter on a hang-glider flew into northern Israel in 1987 and killed six soldiers before being shot dead.

Spectacular? That word is usually reserved, connotatively speaking, for something awesome, inspiring, and beautiful -- like fireworks on the 4th of July.

Not a comparison I'd care to draw when talking about a "string of bloody incidents," but then I'm not writing MSM propaganda.

As seen @
Adam's blog Is it just me? NIF TMH's bacon bits Diane's stuff (good luck with BWBW!)
BigMacStansbury!
The conservative cat Jo's cafe bright & early

Israel
Lebanon
Palestine
Terrorism
Propaganda
MSM

Time Out for Mexico

It seems Mexico is trying to get other Latin American nations to stand with it against America building a wall on our southern border. Shocker. You may read the whole article here, at the Prensa Latina (Latin American News Agency) website, although I've pulled most of it into this post to perform an emergency fisking that goes a little something like this:

US Wall Negative Effects Decried

Mexico, Dec 27 (Prensa Latina) US construction of a wall in its border with Mexico, which is being promoted by the US House, "would have very negative effects on our countries," the Congress of the Union has warned.

In a letter addressed to counterparts in Latin America, Spain and Portugal, chief of Mexico's parliamentary diplomacy Heliodoro Diaz urged them to express their concern about the issue and condemn the anti-immigrant wall.

What do they care if we build an anti-ILLEGAL-immigrant wall on our southern border? Hey, wait a minute! Don't tell me that the governments of Venezuela, Chile, Spain, etc. are issuing pamphlets on how to illegally enter the U.S. across the Mexican border, too?

According to the Chamber of Deputies speaker, the draft law on border protection, anti-terrorism and illegal immigration control calls for the construction of a wall in four states bordering Mexico. It also includes stepped-up sanctions against those who hire undocumented workers.

The nerve of those Americans! Taking steps to enforce their laws and punish those who break them!

Implementation of this proposal means to consider immigration a crime, exacerbate racism, violate human rights of those who migrate to the US and contravene agreements reached through existing free trade accords, the letter adds.

Oopsie. Evidently "misplacing" the word ILLEGAL when it comes to ILLEGAL immigration ain't just an American thang. For the record, mis amigos, immigration is only a crime when it is done ILLEGALLY (try not to drop that word, willya?), I've read HR4437 and it never mentions race, and it is most decidedly NOT a human right to enter the U.S. at will.

The letter admits that approval of the said legislation stems from sovereign exercise of legislative duties in the US. However, it recalls that Mexico has pleaded for finding a comprehensive, bilateral solution to the migration issue.

Mighty big of you to admit that, as a sovereign nation, we have a right to exercise legislative duties to protect said sovereignty. Mexico can plead all it wants -- as long as its "bilateral solution" includes encouraging and assisting its citizens to enter our country ILLEGALLY (I'm really hoping that at least one of these big, bold words will stick here), Mexico can pucker up and plant a big one...well, you get the picture.

We, thus, request from you that, in an act of unity among Ibero American parliaments, let us share our concern and condemnation regarding this issue and urge you to express solidarity with the Mexican Congress.

Blah, blah, blah. Translation: America won't let me play with its toys! But I wanna! WAAAAAAAH! I wanna play with America's toys! America is a big meanie!

If you ask me, it's WAY past time for Mexico to be in Time Out.

Illegal Immigration
Border Control
Border Wall
America
Mexico
Time Out

The Illegal Immigration Circus

The underground economy may indeed be growing, but tension is high on the question of immigration.

I just read this piece about the underground economy of illegal immigrants.

"The toleration of illegal immigration undermines all of our labor," said Vernon Briggs, a Cornell University labor economics professor.

"It rips at the social fabric. It's a race to the bottom. The one who plays by the rules is penalized. It becomes a system that feeds on itself. It just goes on and on and on."

The author references this article from the Detroit News.

A "Need" for Workers?

Therein lies the problem: A "need for workers" versus a need for security, immigration reform, and angry U.S. citizens who feel their jobs are being taken by illegal aliens. Of course, it goes even deeper. Banks are only too happy to lend money to illegal aliens to buy a house, given the fact that they can pass off the loan to Fannie Mae or sanitize and collateralize into a mortgage-backed security and sell it to pension plans or hedge funds willing to take the risk. In reality, there is absolutely no real need for workers. What there is a need for, if you can call it a need, is a need for the cheapest labor possible so corporations can make more profit.

Our politicians are really having to practice their juggling skills, aren't they? They've got companies that want to make money by employing illegal aliens. They got banks that want to profit from illegal aliens. They've got this organization and that organization yelling about the votes they would love to add to their political coffers. And, last and evidently least, they've got the citizens of this great country. The ones who voted them into office in the first place. The ones they swore to represent. The ones they are supposed to be looking out for.

What's a poor politician to do? Well, you could spout rhetoric that sounds pretty good on its own, like the president did earlier this month on a visit to Tucson...

"In communities near our border, illegal immigration strains the resources of schools, hospitals and law enforcement. And it involves smugglers and gangs that bring crime to our neighborhoods. Faced with this serious challenge our government's responsibility is clear. We're going to protect our borders."

Then you go on to talk about how you are against rewarding lawbreakers out one side of you mouth, while you spout about temporary worker programs from the other.

What kind of plan is it to let illegals stay for six years only to kick them out for a year, then let them back in for another six? That is one of the silliest ideas I have heard proposed about anything. If you are going to kick out illegal aliens, wouldn't it make more sense to kick them out immediately, rather than after six years when many of them will have purchased a house or had children who would then be U.S. citizens?

Silly, indeed. Ridiculous, even. It's as if the politicians have run away to join the circus.

Here Is the Crux of the Problem: Corporations benefiting from cheap illegal labor want to keep the status quo, while ordinary U.S. taxpayers losing jobs want to keep the illegal aliens out.

Yep. The question is this: what is it going to take for our politicians to take off their red noses, frizzy wigs, and clown suits? Let's hope it doesn't take someone sneaking into the country illegally to blow up The Big Top.

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BigMacStansbury!
The conservative cat Jo's cafe bright & early

Illegal Immigration
Illegal Aliens
Border Control
Politicians
America

Stupidest Headline Ever!

Secret surveillance up sharply since 9/11

I am speechless...

Stupidest Headline Ever
Stupid People
Secret Surveillance

Politics For Dummies

Oh please, please, please.

The I-Word is Gaining Ground

It's a funny thing about stupid folk, they never learn.

But the times they are a' changin'. The I-word has moved from the marginal to the mainstream--although columnists like Charles "torture-is-fine-by-me" Krauthammer would like us to believe that "only the most brazen and reckless and partisan" could support the idea. In fact, as Michelle Goldberg reports in Salon, "in the past few days, impeachment "has become a topic of considered discussion among constitutional scholars and experts (including a few Republicans), former intelligence officers, and even a few politicians." Even a moderately liberal columnist like Newsweek's Alter sounds like The Nation, observing: "We're seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator."

Uh-huh, just keep smilin' sunny Jim.

Public opinion is also growing more comfortable with the idea of impeaching this president. A Zogby International poll conducted this summer found that 42 percent of Americans felt that impeaching Bush would be justified if it was shown that he had manipulated intelligence in going to war in Iraq. (John Zogby admitted that "it was much higher than I expected.") By November, the number of those who favored impeaching Bush stood at 53 percent--if it was in fact proven that Bush had lied about the basis for invading Iraq. (And these polls were taken before the revelations of Bush's domestic spying.)

I guaran-fricken-T a blowback of epic proportions if these flaming chuckleheads pursue this strategy.

There are many reasons why it is crucial that the Democrats regain control of Congress in '06, but consider this one: If they do, there may be articles of impeachment introduced and the estimable John Conyers, who has led the fight to defend our constitution, would become Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Wouldn't that be a truly just response to the real high crimes and misdemeanors that this lawbreaking president has so clearly committed?

This is what I really want for Christmas.

Honey?

George W bush
Impeachment
Stupid People
Democrat Genius

The Sleepery Slope

This just in from Canada, long a bastion of rock ribbed morality and idiot liberalism.

Group sex club patrons swinging free

MONTREAL (Reuters) - On a recent night out on the town, Michel and Chantal Delbecchi left their suburban Montreal home and drove to the L'Orage Club in the city's east end, where they had sex with a couple they had never met before.

The Delbecchis, husband and wife since 1978, are "echangistes," French for "swingers," who for the past 21 years have been visiting clubs like L'Orage (Thunderstorm) to have consensual sex in a group with one or more other people.

For future outings, they will no longer have to fear police will raid the club and arrest them for being in a "bawdy house," a place where prostitution or acts of public indecency take place.

In a landmark decision on Dec, 21, the Supreme Court of Canada lifted a ban on swingers' clubs, ruling that group sex among consenting adults is neither
prostitution nor a threat to society.

The ruling sparked outrage, largely in English-speaking parts of Canada, where critics said it would erode limits on indecency or obscenity, encourage prostitution and even contribute to the corruption of minors.

Seeing as the age of consent in Canada is currently hovering at a nasty fourteen, concern for minors doesn't seem misplaced to me. I try to keep that salient fact in mind every time a canuck starts to wax moral about how horrible the states are, a choice topic in the great frozen tundra.

Let me just state the obvious for those who haven't enjoyed a refreshing caffeinated beverage yet. Public morality isn't supposed to be easy. The argument always goes like this (imagine a high whining voice, like Sandra Bernhardt on helium).

"But everybodies doing it, and I wanna too, you can't stop everybody so just throw in the towel and make it legal. Your kids already doin' it so why bother, you can't legislate morality and anyway...I really wanna!"

Let's examine this steaming pile. Of course this should be illegal. My take is you should be able to do whatever you want as a consenting adult in the privacy of your own home, but when you make stuff like this publicly legal it has consequences to the community.

The state actually does have an interest in at least attempting to keep sexual relationships geared toward procreation. The "sexual revolution" has caused more pain and broken lives than any other social experiment with the notable exception of abortion. People in committed relationships are happier and live longer.

As for Michel and Chantal, a 25-year-old woman has become their mutual lover and all three plan to move in together early next year. Despite that new relationship, the Delbecchis expect to continue exchanging sex partners in Quebec clubs.

Said Michel: "At the club, we have sex with people. At home, we make love."

Yeah, that's gonna end well.

Montreal Sex Ruling
Smart+People
Canada

Judicial Activism: Catch The crazy

I for one am outraged...

Restraining Order Against Letterman Tossed

Who the hell does this judge think he is?

SANTA FE, N.M. - A state judge has lifted a restraining order granted to a Santa Fe woman who accused talk-show host David Letterman of using coded words to show that he wanted to marry her and train her as his co-host.

Judge Daniel Sanchez on Tuesday granted a request by lawyers for Letterman, host of CBS' "Late Show," to quash the temporary restraining order that he earlier granted to Colleen Nestler.

She alleged in a request filed Dec. 15 that Letterman has forced her to go bankrupt and caused her "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation" since May 1994.

Nestler requested that Letterman, who tapes his show in New York, stay at least 3 yards away and not "think of me, and release me from his mental harassment and
hammering."

When will America wake up to threat Mr. Letterman poses?

Nestler appeared in court without a lawyer and represented
herself.

Responding to a question from the judge, Nestler said she had no proof of the allegations she had made against Letterman.

She also said that if Letterman or any of his representatives came near her, "I will
break their legs" and establish proof of her allegations.

Nestler said after the court hearing that "I have achieved my purpose. The public knows that this man cannot come near me."

She also said that her comment about breaking legs "is not a threat."

"I appealed to the court for a restraining order to keep this man away from me, but now that's been denied me," she said. "He has access to me. He can actually come for me or send people. He has many accomplices. I know this sounds crazy. I was crazy to have listened to him in the beginning."

Nestler's application for a restraining order was accompanied by a six-page typed letter in which she said Letterman used code words, gestures and "eye expressions" to convey his desires for her.

She wrote that she began sending Letterman "thoughts of love" after his show began in 1993, and that he responded in code words and gestures, asking her to come
East.

Nestler said Letterman asked her to be his wife during a televised "teaser" for his show by saying, "Marry me, Oprah." Her letter said Oprah was the first of many code names for her and that the coded vocabulary increased and changed with time.

I mean, who hasn't issued a non-threat to break someone's legs, I ask you?

This is how it starts folks, one day it's coded messages and secret proposals the next, training to be his co-host.

The horror, the horror!

David Letterman
Colleen Nestler
Restraining Order

That's A Damn Shame

Dunkin' Donuts Ad Actor Michael Vale Dies

NEW YORK - Michael Vale, the actor best known for his portrayal of a sleepy-eyed Dunkin' Donuts baker who said "Time to make the doughnuts," has died. He was 83.

Vale died Saturday in New York City of complications from diabetes, according to son-in law Rick Reil.

Vale's long-running character, "Fred the Baker," for the doughnut maker's ad campaign lasted 15 years until he
retired in 1997.

Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin' Donuts said in a statement that Vale's character "became a beloved American icon that permeated our culture and touched millions with his sense of humor and humble nature."

You had to love the guy. Rest in peace.

RIP
Michael Vale
Time To Make The Doughnuts

Shaken Not Stirred

This just in from an alert reader...(I'm not receiving any compensation for this...Dammit!)

After a hard day blending puppies and ruling over the lesser people a conservative just wants to kick back and relax with a refreshing adult beverage.

But where are the beverages that celebrate the unique culture that is conservtism?

Search no more my friends, Brian Gillette in a rare moment of sobriety has penned 'The Dittohead's Guide To Adult Beverages'.

Here's a little peek inside this gem...

Dead White Guy Ginger Ale

Glass: A Clay Bowl Stolen from Native Americans (by dead white conquistadors)

Ingredients:

1 Part Vodka (a colorless ingredient symbolizing white European oppression)
3 Parts Ginger Ale (containing blood-thirsty, intolerant, white supremacist sugar)
A Splash of White Wine (reminiscent of Napoleonic French imperialism)
A Splash of Lemon-Lime Juice (made from fruit hand-picked by indentured servants)
A Dash of Sugar (due to safety concerns, no brown sugar allowed)

Instructions: While attending a college seminar on multiculturalism, with an emphasis on Native American, Afro-centric lesbian poetry, combine ingredients in a clay bowl stolen from Native Americans. Consume on Columbus Day while attacking white males who have the audacity to continue to breathe.

Origin: This adult beverage is named in honor of Christopher Columbus - a capitalist, European bigot responsible for the death and murder of eighty trillion pacifist, nature-loving Native Americans (and a man whose lone accomplishment was the "discovery" of someone else's backyard).

Special Warning: Under no circumstances should you add brown sugar to this adult
beverage, as it is sure to be ravaged and destroyed by the racist, imperialist,
homophobic white sugar already present in the ginger ale.

And voila! there you have it. What more could you ask for?

This may actually inspire me to set up our currently languishing bar, nah, I'm far too lazy.

h/t to the infamous J. Grillo, causer of trouble, teller of tales

Booze
Brian Gillette
Dittoheads
The silly