Electing Predictions

Well, the Redskins lost.

Big deal. The Patriots also lost. And the Red Sox won. If those streaks ended this year, well then, the Redskin's prediction streak can end too.

In any case, its about time I made a prediction - not simply that Bush is gonna win, but by how much.

You might remember that earlier this year, in mid may in fact, I predicted a landslide victory for Bush. Well, here we are, two days out. A lots changed, but a lot has stayed the same.

Do I still think its going to be a landslide. Yes. Will it be as big of a landslide as Reagan Mondale? No, probably not. But it will be big - on the electoral vote side of things at least.

How big??? Try Bush 329-209, with him finishing 5-6 points up nationwide.

Here's my map, compliments of the LA Times.

Its not a perfect defeat, but it will do. And interestingly enough, if you check out Les Jone's compilation of predictions, you can see a strong Bush re-election trend forming.


There are also a bunch of other important elections going on. The Senate is up for grabs, and while the Democrats think the House might fall too, I just don't believe that for a second.

In the Senate, here are my predictions:

ALASKA Democrat Tony Knowles over Incumbent Republican Lisa Murkowski. Governor's shouldn't appoint their unqualified daughters to the U.S. Senate.

CALIFORNIA Much to my chagrin, Democrat Barbara Boxer will be reelected.

COLORADO Republican Pete Coors is going to squeak by democrat AG Ken Salazar on Bush's coattails and keep this seat for the Republicans.

FLORIDA Republican Mel Martinez is also going to squeak by on Bush's coattails to pick up an additional Senate seat and compensate for the loss of Alaska.

GEORGIA Republican Johnny Isakson isn't as loved as retiring Democrat Zell Miller, but he will still have an easy time picking up another Senate seat for the Republicans.

ILLINOIS Retiring Republican Pete Fitzgerald is a loser. Thats why he decided to retire rather than stick it out and go down in defeat. Nevertheless, he would have stood a better chance of defending this republican seat than the carpetbagger Alan Keyes. Barak Osama will have the easiest win of any freshman senator, except perhaps Johnny Isakson. By the way, that means the Democrats pick up an additional seat.

LOUISIANA I have no idea what's going to happen in Louisiana. Sure, Republican David Vitter will probably win on election day, but I don't think he will have a majority of the votes. Under Louisiana's weird system, that throws the election into a runoff which will likely pit him against Democratic Congressman Chris John. My gut tells me that Chris John will win the run off. He's a good guy with a head on his shoulders. About as good a man as you could expect a Democrat to be. I just wish he were a Republican.

MISSOURI For once, Kit Bond will have no trouble defending his seat this time. Thank John Kerry and gay marriages.

NORTH CAROLINA I think Richard Burr is going to shock some people here and beat former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles for John Edward's seat..

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma is too close to call, but I'll do it anyway. Republican Tom Coburn, for all his problems and difficulties this election is going to win.

PENNSYLVANIA Republican Senator Arlen Specter will be spending the next six years in Washington, D.C.

SOUTH CAROLINA The South Carolina schools are in too bad a condition and these folks are going to have too tough a time voting for a liberal Democrat. Republican Jim DeMint is going to add another seat to the Republican tally.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sing it now. With passion. For Tom Dachle.

Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Bye Bye.

John Thune is going to send D.C. Resident and South Dakota Senator and Minority Leader Tom Daschle back to his Georgetown mansion.

WASHINGTON Washington is another state, like California, that won't be missed when the big one hits and it slides into the big lake off the West coast. Incumbent Sen. Patty Murray, friend and supporter of Osama Bin Laden, will easily win reelection.

WISCONSIN Wouldn't it be funny. Yes it would and I think it might happen. Once again, Bush's coattails are going to sweep a Republican into office. In this case, Republican Tim Michels is going to send Russ Feingold to the unemployment line, where his stupid law will prevent him from complaining about the conditions.

For those keeping score, I'm predicting the Democrats taking over two currently held Republican seats, while the Republicans take 6 from the communists, for a net increase of 4.

The Colonel

The Colonel came home from the Hospital on Friday night, ensuring a pleasant Halloween for all involved. We spent some time with him that evening, and I spent a good part of yesterday with him, helping him with his medications, making some lunch, and just otherwise assisting around the house. Hence, there's been no blogging this weekend.

Today, of course, is Halloween. After a short trip this morning to a deserted Ikea, we carved some pumpkin and got the boy wonder dressed in his chaps, leather vest, cowboy hat and toy six shooter. He was adorable and went around the neighbor hood, like only a 2 year old boy can, yelling BANG BANG BANG while pointing his gun at people.

Words of Wisdom

As we face the specter of Osama Bin Lade's re-appreance and the thought that a traitor from the state of California and its disfunctional school system is once again doing Bin Assholes bidding, I offer the following words of wisdom, by way of John Tant.

“You know what they call a candidate who’s counting on a lot of new voters? A loser.”

- James Carville

This may be the only time I ever hope the ragin' cajun is correct.



As an aside - perhaps its time for another Osama Bin Pumpkin shootout.

Terrorist for Kerry

Osama

That asshole has released another tape.

I turned on the TV on my desk and while surfing up on to Fox News, passed Dan Rather on CBS news who looked like he just saw a ghost. More importantly, and perhaps more insightfully, he also had an air about him as if one of his minions had spoken out of turn and he needed to know go into damage control mode.

• We Don't Know Where Bin Laden Is


• We Dont't know if this is Bin Laden


• The Bush Administration has not captured Bin Laden yet


• If this is Bin Laden, the Bush Administration hasn't killed Bin Laden yet


• We don't know if this isn't just a sick joke designed to punish our saviour, John Kerry


• John Edwards pays attention to his hair


• John Kerry is respected in France

You get the picture.

Now some jerk is on Fox criticizing the President's prosecution of the war on terror and suggesting that we should listen to the sage advice of Jimmy Carter. Hopefully John "Friend of America's Enemies" Kerry will do the country a favor by going on TV tonite and repeating this line.

The Problems With Polls

Good Post, JLB

How Wonderful

As we descend down the dark nd scary paths leading us to election day and the fear of the unknown that November 3rd will bring, sometimes its good to just laugh.

This recollection of a recent airplane ride is perfect.

Hat tip to Tim Sandefur

Scumbag Carpetbaggers

We have a scumbag carpetbagger from California by way of Haaaavahhhd running for Congress in my District. He's a big 'ol flaming liberal L who made a mint in the internet boom. He decided he wanted to run for Congress, looked around, and then decided to rent an apartment here and run for Congress.

He's ran an especially nasty campaign.

So nasty, that the very liberal Washington Post ran this editorial today. I reprint it in its entirety.

APOLITICAL NEWCOMER in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, James Socas is running a determined if uphill campaign against Rep. Frank R. Wolf, the respected Republican incumbent. His determination is fine, and Mr. Socas, a Democrat and former investment banker, has some ideas worth considering. But in his attacks on Mr. Wolf, his zeal has outstripped his judgment in a couple of instances.

In one case, Mr. Socas wrote this month to the House ethics committee to complain that members of Mr. Wolf's government-funded congressional staff had improperly crossed the line barring them from engaging in active politicking. That's a not-uncommon grievance from a candidate running against an incumbent, and we make no judgment on the merits of Mr. Socas's particular complaint. But Mr. Socas has no standing with the ethics committee, whose rules specify that complaints must be filed or endorsed by members of Congress and, in any event, cannot be considered within 60 days of an election. And Mr. Socas really overstepped when he used the fact of his letter to suggest to voters, in a telephone survey, that Mr. Wolf might be under investigation.

Similarly, Mr. Socas has used the telephone survey as well as fliers to suggest to voters that Mr. Wolf is a member of an "extreme" religious group known as "the Family," which was the subject of a lengthy article in Harper's Magazine last year. Mr. Wolf makes no secret of his deep Christian beliefs, which he says have motivated him to take a leading role in Congress on behalf of oppressed people (including Muslims and Buddhists) in Darfur, Ethiopia, Tibet, China and elsewhere. We have long admired Mr. Wolf's commitment to human rights around the world; few members of Congress have more actively pushed for recognition of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. For Mr. Socas to portray Mr. Wolf as some kind of religious fanatic is reprehensible.

I couldn't agree more. I challenge the Post to uncover where Mr. Socas was given the special interest left wing talking points he unwisely followed in this election. My guess is they would lead straight back to Michael Moore and his socialist buddies in the Democratic Party like Nancy Pelosi.

The Colonel

Thanks for all your concerns. They are much appreciated.

The Colonel was moved back out of the Intensive Care unit yesterday and is once again in the general population ward of George Washington Hospital. His infection has subsided, though he still has a fever and an irregular heart rate which is troubling for us, though his cardiologist seems less worried about the heart beat. I don't know if thats something that normally occurs, or what, with bypass surgery. If any of my readers have any insight, please let me know.

If all goes well the next couple of days, he might be home by Sunday.

The Potty

My wife just called.

Seems that all our hard work is paying off and my son woke up this morning and went and pee peeed on the potty.

I am so proud of him.

Of course, we've been bribing him with gummy bears.

The Red Sox

I don't care.

They still suck.

UPDATE: Well, maybe not all of them. In any case, Congratulations are still in order for ending their 86 year drought.

Bush's Bird

I don't know. I thinkthis video, which I guess is meant to turn people off from Bush, is actually one of the most reassuring and inspiring things I've ever seen on him.

He comes off as sharp, humorous, and real. He comes off as everything Kerry aint.

In politics, at the end of the day, people still vote for the guy they want to grab a beer with.

Should have stayed in DC

This idiot goblin should have limited the burglaries to D.C. Folks in Virginia, as the Washington Post like to point out, have guns.

Fairfax, Va. (AP) - There's a young burglary suspect who no doubt wishes he'd picked another house. That's because Fairfax County (website - news) police say the one they found him in is owned by a guy with a gun.

Investigators say shortly before 2 a.m., the homeowner heard some noises in his house in the 3900 block of Collis Oak Court, in the Fair Oaks neighborhood. The man grabbed his gun and went to take a look.

According to police, he found a 17-year-old wearing a ski mask and gloves. Turning the tables on the teen, the homeowner ordered him to call police, which he did. Officers arrived and took him into custody. The suspect was later released to his parents, and charges are pending.

No shots were fired and no one was hurt.

Of course, he wasn't shot, but I like the fact that the homeowner made him call the cops. I don't really need to point this out here, but I will anyway. If this crime occurred in D.C., the homeowner would have been faced with the longer prison term.

Environmental Crimes

I've discussed the prostitutes at Greenpeace and other environmental groups before, but the latest news concerning Greenpeace really is the greatest.

Turns out, after criminally trespassing onto and into the headquarters of ExxonMobil, the folks at Greenpeace whom John "I supported Kyoto before I rejected Kyoto, which of course was before I decided to support Kyoto" Kerry would otherwise have placed in charge of EPA are now going to be restrained from ANY direct protests against ExxonMobil in the U.S.

Not surprisingly, this groundbreaking victory against environmental extremists has been nearly ignored by the press. By nearly, I mean a search of the Nexis archives for "ExxonMobil and Greenpeace" for the last month turns up only one reference to it, this story in Monday's Financial Times.

For fear that this may disappear into the netherworld, I am reprinting it here for posterity.

Activists' hands tied for 7 years
by Jonathan Birchall in New York
Published: October 24 2004 22:04 | Last updated: October 24 2004 22:04

Some of the protesters wore tiger suits; others wore brightly coloured T-shirts under business suits. They entered the front lobby or climbed on the roof of ExxonMobil's headquarters in Irving, Texas. The protest, involving more than 30 members of Greenpeace, the environmental activist group, was aimed at the world's largest oil company and its policies on global warming.

Now, almost 18 months later, Greenpeace has signed a court agreement that will prevent its supporters from staging any similar protests against ExxonMobil, not only in Texas but anywhere in the US, for seven years.

The agreement is believed to be the first of its kind involving a US company and a protest group. While it stems from a bitter and long-running global campaign by Greenpeace against ExxonMobil, it could also serve as a precedent for other companies with operations in the US - from Wal-Mart to Huntingdon Life Sciences - that face the challenge of "direct action" by protest groups.

Exxon said it was "satisfied" with the consent judgment by a Texas judge, which covers corporate property, filling stations and any event sponsored by the company or involving company officers. Any breach would bring the automatic risk of fines and imprisonment.

ExxonMobil has previously secured court injunctions against Greenpeace protesters in cases in the UK and Europe involving action and blockades of its facilities. But such nationwide injunctions are extremely rare in the US, with previous case law focused on anti-abortion protests and union disputes.

"It's certainly unusual," says Erwin Cherminsky, professor of law at Duke University in North Carolina and a specialist in freedom of speech issues. "But this is an injunction that doesn't prohibit that which the law does not already prohibit."

Robert O'Neil, director of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, says he finds the scope of the injunction "fairly drastic". In particular, he says, language dealing with perceived threats to people entering or leaving facilities goes beyond standards set in disputes over anti-abortion protests. "You don't enjoin every possible variety of expressive act unless you're clear that no other remedy is available," he says.

The agreement is a blow for Greenpeace, which has made non-violent direct action a key element in its campaign strategy. Lisa Finaldi, campaigns director at Greenpeace USA, says the group agreed to the settlement in part to avoid an indefinite ban on action against ExxonMobil. "We've been around for 30 years, and we can handle a seven-year ban, but we couldn't handle a lifetime ban against one of the largest companies in the world," she says.

Greenpeace says it was also concerned about more serious felony charges being laid over a hand injury sustained by a 67-year-old security guard, although Exxon has agreed not to press for prosecution.

However, the pre-emptive scope of the agreement has troubled some civil rights advocates. Julian Bond, a veteran of the black civil rights struggle of the 1960s and chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has accused Exxon of a "heavy-handed" attack that was an "assault on the time-honoured tradition of free speech".

"What would have happened [in the 1960s] if the bus companies in Alabama had taken out injunctions against the civil rights protests by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference?" asks Elliott Schrage, who lectures on business and human rights issues at Columbia University.

Exxon counters: "The Greenpeace break-in should not be mistaken as following 'the right of non-violent protest' . . . Greenpeace breaks laws not because its members are subject to unjust laws but because Greenpeace has failed by democratic means to get its way."

The company also argues that its response was justified in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11 2001. The incident occurred, it says, "when the country was on level orange alert . . . The current climate makes Greenpeace's activities directed at ExxonMobil all the more irresponsible and dangerous."

Fred Garcia, founder of Logos Consulting, a US-based crisis management consultancy, says a change in corporate attitudes towards direct action is not surprising in the post-September 11 world. "I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a more robust approach, with companies seeing this kind of thing as a security issue rather than a business reputation issue."

Greenpeace leaders say the ExxonMobil case coincides with actions by the US government that they believe send a message that this kind of direct action against companies is not acceptable in the current climate. Applying a rarely used law of 1872, the Department of Justice sought to prosecute Greenpeace - albeit unsuccessfully - in a federal court in Miami this year over a protest in which activists boarded a freighter allegedly carrying a shipment of mahogany from the Amazon region.

"The US government, not the city or the state, was seeking to curtail the entire organisation. I think this gives quite a clear signal, whether to industry or to others, that people who take direct action are fair game," says Sarah Burton, Greenpeace International's legal consultant.

In another incident earlier this year, the US attorney in Pittsburgh initially laid federal criminal charges against Greenpeace activists who scaled a 700ft (213m) smoke stack at a power station run by Allegheny Energy, using laws aimed at the threat of sabotage or terrorism. The federal charges were subsequently dropped; a less serious state case against the protesters is continuing.

Greenpeace says it will continue its campaign against ExxonMobil within the limits set by the Texas court. At this year's Exxon annual general meeting the group was already subject to a temporary court injunction of similar scope. It responded by projecting images of the effects of global warming on to the side of the building in Dallas that was hosting the meeting. "In the US we have restrictions and we believe we can live by them," says Ms Finaldi.

Good for Exxon.

If you haven't filled your car up, go to an ExxonMobil station today and buy a tankfull of super premium gas as a way to show your thanks!

Boycott CBS

'Nough said.

John "Sold My Nation Down The River" Kerry

What part of Traitorous Lout don't you understand?

Nausea

This makes me want to puke.

The Dogs of War

Sorry for the light postings, I had hoped to put up the first of many posts on Snopes, but the Colonel developed a nasty infection in his arm (where the artery was taken out) and was shipped back up to the intensive care ward.

Needless to say, my wife is a bit distressed and I've been dealing with her. While his cardiologist has been excellent, and its nice that George Washington University Hospital has nice flat/wide screen TVs and laptop rentals in the waiting rooms, the medical services provided there are bordering on incompetent, causing us to wonder if some of these people were trained in the U.S.

Anyway, he had my mother in law give me his old copy of the great Frederick Forsyth thriller The Dogs of War to read. Its the first Forsyth book I've read and is excllent. I should finish it today (I started yesterday) and plan on reading the Odessa File and Day of the Jackal later this week.

Till then . . .

Buck Fama

Its the third eer fourth Saturday in October and that means Bama has to deal with it again.

Buck Fama!!

They suck Ass!!!

The Man in Black

This is great. I'd heard about this ad, but had never seen it till tonite.

Blog Roll Dump

For some reason, Ravenwood's Universe has been missing from my blog roll. Sorry buddy. Its back on.

If anyone else is missing, let me know and I'll gladly put you back on. As you can see, I am spending some time tonite getting things straightened out, even though I should be hard at work on Snoping Snopes and completing my application to the Georgia Bar. Oh well. I've got my priorities.

Austin Country Limits

If you haven't visited in awhile, I highly recommend a trip to Fletcher's Austin Country Limits. The Fall foliage is gorgeous.

Doggie Love

My dog's thoughts, exactly!

Snopes

My Snoping of Snopes is coming.

When you take on something as widely regarded as Snopes, you better damn well get your act together. In that regard, I will continue working on my Snoping of Snopes over the weekend. . . . in between hospital visits. I'm shooting for a Monday morning debut.

Happy X2

Jeff Soyer is turning the big Five-O while his great blog Alphecca is celebrating its 2nd Blogiversary.

Happy Happy on both!!!

Rocky Top!!!!

South Knox Bubba has posted the latest update to the Rocky Top Brigade. All you Volunteers ought to head over and check it out.

Highlights include:

• Holding Down the Fort, written by the President of the UT Shooting Club. I wish I knew about the UT Shooting Club when I was there. It would have certainly made me enjoy the experience a lot more. . . .but then again, it would have taken away from my ability to go bowling (do they even still have a bowling alley in the University Center - my father in law used to tell me that in the 50s and 60s it was an indoor rifle range. I wonder what its become now) and mountain biking.



• Sandcastles and Cubicles who I believe I've linked to in the past already.



• You'll Always Find a Fifth written by a Knoxvillian studying at Georgetown. Hey, let me know when you want to go hunting!!



• Moore Thoughts about Conservatism, Freedom, and Capitalism



• The Land Surveying blog addressing property issues.

There's lots more new stuff, and all are certainly worth a visit or two or three or more, but these guys have piqued my interest the most.

John "Lets Rape For Oil" Kerry

No Blood For Oil

That's the mantra the looney left likes to scream, especially as they work to elect John Kerry. But, as Clayton Cramer points out on his blog, at least one card carrying member of the looney brigade, Nat Hentoff in the Village Voice is willing to expose Kerry and his UN comrades as the hoaxes they are.

A woman and teenage girl who were raped and abducted by soldiers in western Darfur have claimed that the Sudanese army organized airlifts of sex slaves to serve as the "wives" of government soldiers in Khartoum. . . . "Each of us was raped by between three and six men," said Bokur [Hamis, 21]. "One woman refused to have sex with them, so they split her head into pieces with an axe in front of us."

This is just one small incident in the genocide thats sweeping through the Sudan. And why, if these atrocities are occuring, is the UN unable to act?? Because the nations that John Kerry would like to grant veto power over U.S. Foreign Policy to, have all been bribed by the power and wealth of Sudanese Oil.

Go Gore Go

This is some of the best news yet for President Bush.

ABC News has learned that former Vice President Al Gore will campaign for Sen. John Kerry this weekend in Florida.

As everyone knows, Al has the reverse Midas touch - everything he touches turns to shit.

Snopes

Apparantly, Snopes has Snoped the piece I posted earlier on the cost of protecting Kerry's many mansions.

A couple of people emailed me about this and Cowboy Bob posted about it, and so I thought a correction was in order. However, something about the Snopes article struck me as odd. After reviewing further Snopes articles, it appears to me that perhaps the good folks at Snopes are behind on their game.

I hope, tonite, to draft a thorough response to a large number of Snopes articles that all seem to debunk alleged rumours about the Kerry Campaign, but have a less than solid foundation - such as this one.

Can it be that Snopes has jumped the shark and is turning into just another arm of the Democratic Attack machine????

Stay tuned for more. . . . . . . .

Red Sox Suck

The Red Sox still suck.

Go Astros. Go Cardinals. May Billy Buckner return.


On a related note . . . .

Kudos to the George Washington Hospital for providing a multitude of television viewing options in the intensive care viewing area - including a sweet widescreen HDTV showing the playoffs last night. Very nice touch. They also rent wi-fi DVD laptops with an on line downloadable movie service for folks in the waiting room. ONly $9.99 for three hours. not a bad deal.

I guess I ought to thank them for the top notch job they did on the Colonel, who may be out of the hospital as early as Sunday, as well.

The Red Sox still suck.

Blogger Laws

Rules to live by.

Hat tip to the Uncle.

The Cost of Kerry

The Colonel is still in the O.R. and will be for about another hour. The surgeon said all is going well.

In the meantime, a friend (a big 'ol liberal jewish New York Democrat who is disgusted by his party's presidential choice and no, he isn't the same one I mentioned earlier) emailed this to me and I thought it was worth posting.

Food for thought..........

Thought I would share some information that is helping me decide how I will vote in November.

Most of us haven't thought about this -- no matter how much we like or dislike John Kerry. Even an estimate of this cost is staggering.

If elected, you and I (or those of us who actually pay taxes) will pay upkeep and secret service protection for five Kerry mansions here in the United States plus those he and his wife own abroad. It is good to be John F. Kerry...the F stands for Forbes in case you ever wondered. He is one of the richest senators in government and he married even richer. Their properties certainly reflect their opulent lifestyle. When someone is elected president, the Secret Service has to protect
this person and family as well as their property - for as long as the president and his spouse lives!

Beacon Hill, Boston $6.9 million

As mentioned, the Kerry's have five US properties and several foreign properties. The cost to run one of these homes for a year is more than upper middle income Americans could afford, even if the rent was free, and all you had to pay was the water, gas & electric bills (we won't mention ground keepers, maintenance, pool, cooks and house keepers).

Fox Chapel, PA $3.7 million (this is their "shanty")

If Kerry becomes president each property requires staffed secret service security 24 hours a day. Security improvements to each home will come at tax payer expense. Even if the Kerry's never use all the properties - they will be retrofitted -- just in case they drop by for a weekend. Facilities for the secret service agents must also be provided on each property. Who do you think will pay for this? We pay! This takes all the expense off Kerry and puts it on us. Bill Clinton is paying for his New York manor house by charging the government monthly rent for the required secret service facility. The monthly
rent is nearly three times more than his mortgage payment. So we the tax payers are buying his house and he pockets the extra money from the rent on the secret service facility. Then he gets to write off the interest on his mortgage. Well, he was broke from defending his immoral skullduggery and his wife's little scandals, so maybe we should feel sorry for poor old Slick Willie.

Georgetown, Washington D.C. $4.7 million

What does it cost to staff one property in terms of secret service agents? Let's just talk about his American properties. Each property would require 5 agents per 6 hour shift 4 times a day 365 days a year for the rest of Kerry's life and however long his widow might live. In addition, we pay to house and feed these agents at each property for the duration. Do the math. Five properties requiring five agents per shift, times four shifts. That is 20 agents per day per property, 365
days per year. Lets say each agent receives a salary of about $60K (this doesn't include insurance, retirement, etc.; add 30% of salary for that). There will also be vehicles, repairs, gas, and other miscellaneous costs. Straight salary and benefits for 100 agents for one year would cost $7,800,000. We can only guess at the cost of retrofitting each property, building the facility necessary to house the agents and the monthly rent for each facility.

Nantucket, MA $9.18 million

On the other hand, George Bush owns one house - the one at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Again, who pays? You and I pay. I don't mind one property; heck I wouldn't even complain about two - but five in the U.S. and those
abroad? Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Kerry should offer to foot the bill for all but two of these properties if they want me to consider his
candidacy. Does it make sense to spend this kind of money on his excessive life style when he and Mrs. Heinz-Kerry can better afford
it??

Ketchum, Idaho $4.92 million

Paying for the Kerry mansions is only a small part of my concern about this man sitting in the White House. Tax and spend Kerry - that's his party motto. I'd rather see the money we'd spend protecting his fancy properties go toward health care, our military and homeland security. Which America does he live in?? Not the same one I live in - that's for sure!

Please pass the mustard; do America a favor and pass this to your friends. Let's keep Bush a resident of the White House rather than
spend millions and millions to protect Kerry's preferred lifestyle and opulent properties. We'd save an incredible amount of money for more deserving programs. Oh, and viva Del Monte Ketchup!

LIght Blogging Alert

Its been a pretty bad family health week for the Countertop Chronicles. Last week, my Grandmother went to the hospital with pretty serious liver problems (she is doing a bit better, but her troubles aren't over yet) and now today, the Col. Countertop Father in Law is undergoing five way bypass surgery.

The Colonel, or as I like to refer to him - My Own Personal Rambo, retired from the U.S. Army after a gloriousand distinguished 30 year career where he fought communists and enemies of America worldwide - from Korea to Vietnam (where he volunteered for multiple tours of duty and turned down a dozen possible purple hearts because they shouldn't be awarded for mere flesh wounds) to the German Russian border to Iran and Iraq and throughout the middle east collecting a large and impressive enough collection of the nations highest medals for valor and courage to go along with his exploits.

This man has more integrity and courage in an ounce of ballsweat than John Kerry could ever imagine possessing.

Please say a prayer for him today.

Thanks

Hot Damn!!!

If thisdoesn't make you a Republican, you've got problems.

John "Sportsman My Ass" Kerry

WOW!!!

This is a great NPR story on the NRA.

Highlights:

• John Kerry's Photo Op "backfired" - he sponsored a bill to ban the shotgun;



• John Kerry was violating basic gun safety standards in a photo op picture of him hunting;



• NRA's organization of family and friends is big trouble for John Kerry and any candidate who opposes the second amendment.

It pretty much concedes that Kerry's gonna lose the Sportsman vote and the Kerry rep interviewed doesn't seem to dispute the failure of Kerry's immense efforts to win some 2nd Amendment votes.

Monday Song Lyric and U2s iPod

The new U2 ad for Apple rocks.

Its just great. Makes me want to run out and get another iPod . . . and fix my computer (I've got a video card issue).

Here's the Lyrics

Vertigo


Unos, dos, tres, catorce
Turn it up loud, captain!

Lights go down
It's dark
The jungle is your head
Can't rule your heart
I'm feeling so much stronger
Than I thought
Your eyes are wide
And though your soul
it can't be bought
your mind can wander

Hello, Hello
Hola!
I'm at a place called vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something I can feel
Feel

The night is full of holes
Those bullets rip the sky
Of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance
At least they know

I can sell the beat
I'm askin' for the cheque
Girl with crimson nails
Has Jesus 'round the neck
Swinging to the music
Swinging to the music
Woooao

Hello, Hello
Hola!
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something I can feel
Feel

All this, all this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want
And no one gets hurt

Hello, Hello
Hola!
I'm at a place called Vertigo
Lights go down and all I know
Is that you give me something I can feel
You're teaching me ...aaahhh
Your love is teaching me ...aaaah
How to kneel
Kneel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Sure, their liberal left wing loongs and proud moonbats, but they still rock!!

cBS

Boston Tee Off Party

Heh!! 19-8


Suckers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second Amendment Purists

Here's my post at The High Road.

Clayton Cramer has posted an eloquent wake up call to Second Amendment Purists.

Folks, the myopic insistence on an absolute and pure 2nd Amendment stance will destroy all of our fundamental rights. A Kerry victory - very possible if the gun vote splinters - ensures 4 more gun banners votes on the Supreme Court and D.C. style gun control across the nation. Is that what you want???

If you trust John Kerry to secure those rights and the future of Western Civilization - than fine vote for him, or Michael Badarnick, or whatever other nutbag you support.

If you treaure your freedom, your life, and your guns . . . you have no excuse not to join the NRA and vote for George Bush.

Second Amendment Purists

Clayton Cramer has a very important posting on fanaticism that everyone who cherishes their rights needs to read.

I know that there are pro-gunners who are so focused on purity that they are going to vote for someone other than Bush. And what are they going to say next year, when President Kerry is pushing hard for a new, much tougher assault weapon ban, and gun registration, and support for lawsuits against gun makers again?

"I was pure!"

Great. That and 75 cents will buy you a cup of coffee. This is not a game. We are engaged in a struggle for not only our gun rights, but the survival of Western civilization. I can't tell you what John Kerry will do as commander in chief, because he has given so many conflicting messages, many of which indicate that he will not take this war against Islamofascism seriously. I suspect that some of the "purer than thou" posters are actually anti-gunners trying to lower Bush's vote totals.

Got that. Go read the whole post. Don't let your myopia ruin a good thing. Vote for Bush on November 2nd. Vote early Vote often. Just vote for Bush. Please.

The Real Ticket

Fries or Lies What's the difference?

Papa John

What This Country Needs Is Real Men

Mini Kerry

John Kerry's Resume

NAME: John F. Kerry a real life war hero from Vietnam (four months)

RESIDENCE: 7 mansions, including one in Washington DC, worth multi-millions. I served in Vietnam (four months).

EXPERIENCE: Law Enforcement. In my career as a U.S. Senator, I've voted to cut every law enforcement, CIA, and Defense bill. I ordered the city of Boston to remove a fire hydrant in front of my mansion, thereby endangering my neighbors in the event of fire. I served in Vietnam (four months).

MILITARY:
I served in Vietnam (four months). I used three minor injuries to get an early discharge from the military and service in Vietnam (as documented by the attending doctor). I served in Vietnam (four months). I then returned to the U.S., joined Jane Fonda in protesting the war, and insulted returning Vietnam vets, claiming they committed atrocities and were baby killers. I served in Vietnam (four months). I threw my medals, ribbons, or something away in protest. Or did I? My book " Vietnam Veterans Against the War: The New Soldier", shows how I truly feel about the military. I served in Vietnam (four months).

COLLEGE:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. Unlike my counterpart George Bush, I did not get admitted to Harvard nor graduate with an M.B.A However, I did go to a second tier law school were, after three unremarkable years, I became another bloodthirsty shark. This skill has proven invaluable in tracking down my preferred prey - wealthy heiresses. I also served in Vietnam (four months).

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
After College and Vietnam, I ran for the U.S. Congress and have been there ever since. I have no real world experience except marrying very rich women and running their companies vicariously through them. I served in Vietnam (four months).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

As a U.S. Senator I set the record for the most liberal voting record, exceeding even Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton. I have consistently failed to support our military and CIA by voting against their budgets, thus gutting our country's ability to defend itself. Although I voted for the Iraq War, now I am against it and refuse to admit that I voted for it. I voted for every liberal piece of legislation. I have no plan to help this country but I intend to raise taxes significantly if I am elected. I served in Vietnam (four months).

My wealth so far exceeds that of my counterpart, George Bush, that he will never catch up. I make little or no charitable contributions and have never agreed to pay any voluntary excess taxes in Massachusetts, despite family wealth in excess of $ 700 million. I served in Vietnam (four months).

I (we) own 28 manufacturing plants (Heinz) outside of the U.S. in places like Asia, Mexico and Europe. We can make more profit from the cheaper cost of labor in those Countries, although I blame George Bush for sending all of the other jobs out of Country. I served in Vietnam (four months).

Although I claim to be in favor of alternative energy sources, Ted Kennedy and I oppose windmills off Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard as it might spoil our view of the ocean as we cruise on our yachts. I served in Vietnam (four months).

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
None. However, I served in Vietnam (four months).

PERSONAL: I practice my Catholic faith whenever cameras are present. I ride an $8,000 Serotta bicycle. I love to ski/snowboard. I call my Gulfstream V Jet the "Flying Squirrel". I call my $850,000 42-foot Hinckley twin diesel yacht the "Scarmouche".

I am fascinated by rap and hip-hop and feel it reflects our real culture.

Even though I don't own an SUV, and am against these large, polluting, inefficient vehicles, even though they saved American automotive manufacturers and ensured the emplyment and salary of millions of Americas, because together with George Bush I believe they are soley responsible for America's energy problems, my wife and I own several including one parked at my Nantucket summer mansion, and if you can't see how thats different than my owning an SUV by myself then your just an idiot and too dumb to deserve the right to vote, unless your voting for me. I served in Vietnam (four months).

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN 2004.

More Birthday Blogging

So, what did I get for my birthday?

My father in law bought me a new gun . . . . always a good thing in my book . . . and this one is an especially pretty Marlin 336W.

In the venerable thutty-thutty Winchester, of course.

33 Years Old

Today, in 1971, I was born. 33 Years Ago.

I used to drink Rolling Rock alot, but haven' had any in years.

Tonite, I fulfilled a life long pledge and celebrated 33 years with the mysterious 33.

Big Guns

I linked and posted George Will's excellent editorial today. I meant to then, but forgot, point out one point that needs some further clarification.

Mr. Will states

Each of the 4 million pays $35 in annual dues. Polls indicate that another 14 million Americans think that they are NRA members and an additional 28 million think they are affiliated in some way with the NRA because of their membership in one or more of the 35,000 shooting and hunting clubs.

Those are rather impressive, but somewhat misleading figures.
While the basic costs to an annual dues paying member are generally $35, I suspect most annual members pay the $25 fee that they can purchase at their favorite gun or sporting goods store (heck, my brother paid that at the NRA HQ Range). While I suspect the $10 is made up elsewhere, the fact remains the vast majority are NRA members are unlikely to be paying $35 a year.

That said, Mr. Will also left out another important point - many NRA members have forgone the annual membership and have opted instead for a lifetime membership ($700+) or, if cheap like me, the Extended Pay Life Membership ($25 a quarter until paid off). In addition, many NRA members also contribute substantially beyond their basic membership (which pays for the magazine and a baseball hat) and also give money to the NRAPVF, the NRA-ILA, and other groups such as their new Free Hunters group (of which I signed up for a 5 year membership).

In addition to all of that income, the NRA also raises substantial funds from their training and instruction services to private security firms, the military, and your local police force as well as the sale of advertisments in its tremendous media department (they publish dozens of magazines).

Add all that together with a ton of members, 95% of whom vote every election, and you have the proverbial 600lb gorilla of politics.

As George Will so thoughtfully points out

Liberals who lament voter apathy should be careful what they wish for.

How true. How true.

Waffling Away Your Constitutional Rights

So, last night in the debate John "This Dog Won't Hunt" Kerry made this statement

I'll answer it straight to America. I'm not going to appoint a judge to the Court who's going to undo a constitutional right, whether it's the First Amendment, or the Fifth Amendment, or some other right that's given under our courts today -- under the Constitution. And I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right.

Interesting, isn't it, that he conveniently left off the second amendment. I guess, for Senator Eggo, the right to bear arms simply shouldn't be in the constitution, how else to explain this later statement:

I believe it was a failure of presidential leadership not to reauthorize the assault weapons ban.

Hmm, how is a ban, if anything, not an infingement??? Of course, Kerry's next breath simply flipped from one side to the other

I am a hunter. I'm a gun owner. I've been a hunter since I was a kid, 12, 13 years old. And I respect the Second Amendment and I will not tamper with the Second Amendment.

He respects it and won't tamper with it. I guess his plan is simply to appoint jurists who will tamper with it.

That of course, would be surprising given his general agreement that the right to bear arms is an individual right if we could believe he really felt this way. However, as the NRA has shown his commitment to the second amendment and the right of hunters (a related but different issue) is rather suspect.

Of course, his past positions notwithstanding, if Kerry really does believe the second amendment provides an individual right to bear arms doesn't that put his assault weapons ban and other past gun control positisions in direct conflict with the constitution and the Supreme Court's strict scrutiny test? As I stated a few weeks ago, this is a question begging further consideration because it

means a firearm law must be supported by not only a compelling state interest, but that the means chosen to address that interest are narrowly tailored and do not burden the Republic with an overbroad scheme. Wygant v. Jackson Board of Education, 476 U.S. 267, 274 (1986). (For those not familiar with standards of review, this web page provides a good general overview). The end result of course, is that nearly every gun control measure supported by Kerry is unconstitutional.

Considering the importance of the Strict Scrutiny test in upholding the protections the Supreme Court now affords abortion, and for the protection of African American and other minority rights, I wonder what the pro choice and minority groups make of Kerry's desire to dilute its importance?

Jenna's Legs

George Soro's fluffing bitch Oliver Willis want's us to check out Jenna's legs.

9:47 - Interlude: Check out Jenna's legs

Umm, ok!




I think those are something everyone can agree on!!!

The Debate

Since my attention was focused elsewhere last night, I didn't really get to watch much of the debate.

My wife though, watched pretty much the whole thing.

Her reaction - Kerry never answered the questions asked and instead kept rolling off pre scripted talking points. She thought he came off as a royal asshole and really liked Bush's performance.

Of course, she might be biased. She wants him to lose so she can work on Hillary's The Bitch's campaign in 2008. For what its worth, she also thinks he should burn eternally in hell for his crimes against America and the continued insult to our military that his very existence is.

Not that, as a military brat, she has strong feelings on the issue or anything. . . . .

Grandma

Thanks for your kind emails.

The Countertop Family made a trip to see Grandma Countertop (eer, Great Grandma Countertop for at least one of us) yesterday.

Over the past couple of weeks she has fallen into pretty bad health, but I didn't realize this until I recieved my birthday card from her where she said she had been in the hospital for the last ten days. Why no one told me, I don't know. She had actually gone home, but over the weekend fell down and was put back in the hospital.

Anyway, the initial diagnosis was that she had some liver problems. Whats most troubling to me though is her mental deterioration. She's always had a particularly sharp wit about her, been in excellent health, looked like she was 65 instead of 85 and has been 100% independent since divorcing my grandfather 30 years ago (she's never been one to hold back her feelings about him either . . . . which can lead to some awkward yet in hindsight very funny situations). Yesterday, she looked like she was 100. My wife thinks she had a stroke. That would be my guess as well, but apparantly the doctors haven't even considered it. Don't know why.

When we arrived she was a little confused as to what was going on, but after a couple of minutes of talking seemed to gain 100% of her facilities back, proudly showing off her great grandson who was running around the rehabilitation facility (she was moved out of the hospital to a nursing home/rehab facility Tuesday evening). We spent a few hours with her yesterday afternoon and then needed to return to DC. She was tired and needed rest, but the look in her eyes as I walked away quickly went to the bottom of my stomach. Its as if she was watching her life vanish before her.

By the time we got back to D.C., she apparantly took a turn for the worse, and was returened to the hospital where I suspect she'll be staying for forseeable future. My dad said she was mentally lost and she didn't recognize either my aunt or uncle. Everyone was shocked to hear how well she did when we were with her.

I'll probably be going back up to visit her again tonite, so blogging will continue to be intermittent. Again, thanks for your concerns.

John "Sportsman My Ass" Kerry

Big Birthday Guns

Its my birthday and we get this great editorial by George Will

Made me smile when I needed some cheer last night.

Bringing Out the Big Guns

By George F. Will
Thursday, October 14, 2004; Page A31

Billboards now seen in at least 10 key states show a prancing French poodle, its fur fancily clipped for show, wearing a pink ribbon and a blue Kerry-for-president sweater. The text says: "That dog don't hunt." And: "For 20 years John Kerry has voted against sportsmen's rights." As Election Day approaches, the National Rifle Association is clearing its throat, ready to roar.

By now most of the persuading has been done and attention is turning to mobilization -- getting intense constituencies to the polls. Few are more intense than the NRA. If New England is Red Sox Nation, the NRA is a coast-to-coast nation within the nation.

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons), with nearly 36 million members, is the nation's third-largest organization (behind the Catholic Church and the American Automobile Association). The NRA has "only" 4 million adult members. Thirty states and the District of Columbia have smaller voting-age populations. And whereas slightly more than 50 percent of age-eligible Americans have voted in recent elections (51 percent voted in 2000), about 95 percent of NRA members vote. Liberals who lament voter apathy should be careful what they wish for.

Each of the 4 million pays $35 in annual dues. Polls indicate that another 14 million Americans think that they are NRA members and an additional 28 million think they are affiliated in some way with the NRA because of their membership in one or more of the 35,000 shooting and hunting clubs.

In the swing state of Wisconsin, which George W. Bush lost by 5,708 votes in 2000, but where he seems to be slightly ahead this year, there are, according to a Census Bureau survey, 591,000 hunters -- more than one-tenth of the population of about 5.5 million. In hotly contested Pennsylvania, there are 1.3 million hunters, about a million of whom take to the woods on opening day of deer season, when some schools and factories close.

Bill Clinton believes that advocating gun control cost Democrats 20 of the 52 House seats they lost in the 1994 elections, which ended 40 years of Democratic control of the House. And appearing June 23 on "The Charlie Rose Show," he said this about the defeat of Al Gore in 2000:

"The NRA beat him in Arkansas. The NRA and Ralph Nader stand right behind the Supreme Court in their ability to claim that they put George Bush in the White House. . . . If I had known how big the NRA problem was, could I have gone down there and spent three days calling people on the phone and hollering people in and talking to them and turned it? Probably. . . . I think the NRA had enough votes in New Hampshire, in Arkansas, maybe in Tennessee and in Missouri, to beat us. And they nearly whipped us in two or three other places."

Labor unions have awakened to the NRA's power. For example, a flier published in Marseilles, Ill., by Local 393 of the Laborers' International Union of North America lists three Kerry virtues. The third is that he will "fix NAFTA" (the North American Free Trade Agreement). The second is that he "will continue to fight to protect overtime pay." But at the top of the list -- first things first -- is: "Supports protecting our right to own a gun."

Nationwide in 2000, gun ownership was a countervailing pull against union membership as a determinant of political sympathies: Union households with guns split 48 percent for Bush and 48 percent for Gore. In 2000, 80 percent of Tennessee union households had at least one firearm. In West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Michigan, the percentages were 61, 60 and 55. Gore lost the first two states and might have lost the other two if he had not prudently stopped talking about gun control.

Some liberals who are no more respectful of the First Amendment than they are of the Second viewed campaign finance reform as a way to inhibit the NRA from talking against gun control. Advocates of the McCain-Feingold bill for extending government regulation of political speech repeatedly mentioned the NRA as a group whose speech could be curtailed by complicating the process of financing political advocacy.

There are 170,000 precincts in the United States and the NRA says it has election volunteer coordinators in every one. Even on Manhattan's Upper West Side? In West Hollywood? Yes.

By Election Day the NRA will have sent out 15 million pieces of mail to susceptible men. And women. One in three women owns at least one gun. Hear them roar, in numbers too big to ignore.

John "Sportsman My Ass" Kerry

Check out this Fact Sheet on the traitorous lout's affronts to the constitution.

Among the highlights:

FACT: Kerry co-sponsors a bill that would ban all semi-automatic shotguns and detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles, a gigantic step toward bringing Australian-style gun control to the U.S.


FACT: Kerry says, "I think you ought to tax all ammunition, personally, I think you ought to tax guns."


FACT: Kerry has voted nine times in favor of banning semi-auto firearms.


FACT: Kerry has voted for a Ted Kennedy amendment to ban most center-fire rifle ammunition, including the most common rounds used by hunters and target shooters.


FACT: Kerry has voted to close off hundreds of thousands of acres of the California Mojave Desert to hunting.

Theres more, lots more.

Strange, aint it, that at the debate he said he would never seek to take away a constitutional right, yet a few moments later he advocates infringing on the right to keep and bear arms.

F-Falls Church

Its a quaint enough town, but their letting the communists take over.

Thank god the Virginia Citizens Defense League is up to the challenge. Again, I ask, why aren't you a member?

Sully and the 1st Amendment

As incredibly annoying and single focus as he can be, sometimes he gets it right.

've long believed and argued that the central aim of the gay rights movement should be to expand freedom - for everyone. Speech codes and "hate crime" laws restrict freedom - and gays should have nothing to do with them. We should be defending the right of the Boy Scouts to discriminate if they so wish, while making the argument that they shouldn't. We should be defending the right of bigots to exclude gays from their St Patrick's Day parade if they so wish - because their freedoms are our freedoms also. This is particularly true in First Amendment matters. For centuries, free speech was the only real freedom gays ever had. The idea that we should now be curtailing it for others - whatever their views - is a betrayal of our past, our integrity and our freedom.

The Blues

South Knox Bubba is up in my old New York City stomping grounds and photoblogging away, inlcuding pictures of New York City bluesmen.

In the comments, BOHICA set forth a primer on singing the blues.

HOW TO SING THE BLUES: A PRIMER

1. Most Blues begin with: "Woke up this morning..."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in the next line like, "I got a good woman, with the meanest face in town."

3. The Blues is simple. After you get the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes...sort of: "Got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Yes, I got a good woman with the meanest face in town. Got teeth like Margaret Thatcher, weigh 500 pound."

4. The Blues is not about choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch - ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars: Chevys, Fords, Cadillacs and broke-down trucks. The Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMW's, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and minivans ain't even in the running. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die.

6. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, "adulthood" means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.

7. Blues can take place in New York City but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in Minneapolis or Seattle are probably just mild depression. Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City are still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get no rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg 'cause you were skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg 'cause a alligator be chompin' on it is.

9. You can't have no Blues in a office or a shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places for the Blues: a. highway b. jailhouse c. empty bed d. bottom of a whiskey glass

Bad places for the Blues: a. Nordstrom's b. gallery openings c. Ivy League institutions d. golf courses

11. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, 'less you happen to be an old ethnic person, and you slept in it.

12. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if: a. you’re older than dirt b. you’re blind c. you shot a man in Memphis d. you can't be satisfied

No, if: a. you have all your teeth b. you once were blind but now can see c. the man in Memphis lived d. you have a 401K or trust fund

13. Blues is not a matter of color. It's a matter of bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the Blues. Sonny Liston could. Ugly white people also got a leg up on the Blues.

14. If you ask for water and your darlin' give you gasoline, it's the Blues.

Other acceptable Blues beverages are: a. cheap wine b. bourbon c. muddy water d. nasty black coffee

The following are not Blues beverages: a. Perrier b. Chardonnay c. Snapple d. Slim Fast

15. If death occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So are: the electric chair, wood alcohol poisoning, and dying lonely on a broke-down cot. You can't have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match or while getting liposuction.

16. Some Blues names for women: a. Sadie b. Greasy Mama c. Bessie d. Big Leg Bertha

17. Some Blues names for men: a. Joe b. Willie c. Little Willie d. Big Willie

18. Women with names like Amber, Tiffany, Brooke, Brittany or Heather can't sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

19. Make your own Blues name Starter Kit: a. name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, etc.) b. name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi, etc.) c. last name of President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)

For example: Blind Pineapple Washington, Jakeleg Apricot Jackson or Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Well, maybe not "Kiwi.")

20. It doesn't matter how tragic your life is: if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues.

Light Blogging Alert

My grandmother's become pretty ill and I am trying to get out of town so I can get to see her. As a result, blogging is gonna be light over the next few days.

In the meantime, check out all the great bloggers on my blog roll as well as Teddy Jacobson's great new blog with ooodles of firearms information.

Small Town Veteran

Small Town Veteran just surfed over here.

I'm depressed. I hate National Review. I can't work.

Go visit him. Maybe he can cheer us up.

In his honor, I'm reposting our bumper sticker. We've got more in, let me know if you want one and I'll mail it out to you (multiples if you live in a battleground state).

National Review

First, I wholeheartedly disagree with the assessment on the cover of the latest issue.

Second, I urge all my readers to cancel their subscriptions.

Unless someone provides a MUCH MUCH better defense of this cover than KJL has so far provided, I will be sending mine cancelation letter out this evening.

Regardless of whether or not Mr. Lowry's article has merit and should have been included in the latest issue, the editors of America's leading conservative publication SHOULD NEVER have run it as the cover story (especially with that cover) the week before American's go to the polls to choose between George Bush and that traitorous lout and his sniveling sidekick.

Cross posted at TN4W.

Problems

I'm having technical difficulties.

We Can Dream,Can't We?

There seems to be a greater than usual amount of chatter going around about a long coming cease fire and possible reunion by the members of the greatest band ever.

Is it true? Will it happen? We've been disappointed before . . but somehow I think the stars may finally be aligning ($100 million sure is a lot). If true, this may cause me to begin self medicating all over again.

Wots . . . . uh the Deal
Music and Lyrics by Roger Waters and David Gilmore
From the album Obscured By Clouds

Heaven sent the promised land
Looks alright from where I stand
Cause I'm the man on the outside looking in

Waiting on the first step
Show where the key is kept
Point me down the right line because it's time

To let me in from the cold
Turn my lead into gold
Cause there's chill wind blowing in my soul
And I think I'm growing old

Flash the readies
Wot's...uh the deal?
Got to make to the next meal
Try to keep up with the turning of the wheel.

Mile after mile
Stone after stone
Turn to speak but you're alone
Million mile from home you're on your own

So let me in from the cold
Turn my lead into gold
Cause there's chill wind blowing in my soul
And I think I'm growing old

Fire bright by candlelight
And her by my side
And if she prefers we will never stir again

Someone said the promised land
And I grabbed it with both hands
Now I'm the man on the inside looking out

Hear me shout "Come on in,
What's the news and where you been?"
Cause there's no wind left in my soul
And I've grown old

UPDATE: To add links to additional rumours as well as a link to an image of the Q magazine story thats the original source of the rumour.

What's This CO2 Thing Really About

Jane Galt has the story on what we need to actually do in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Well, as Jim Rummel notices, better get those lever action rifles out and be prepared to party like its 1899. . .

Those crazy search bots

Seems that some people have been finding my page by searching for "until we meet again song from desperate housewives."



weird

A Gaffe

Heh!

When a politician inadvertently says what he really means.

Another VCDL Victory, Part Deux

Here's a pretty worthless Live Online session with Washington Airpot Authority VP of Communications Jonathan Gaffney.

His opening statement is worth reading, but the questions submitted to him, were mostly less than intelligent.

Arlington, Va.: Is this as crazy of a move as it sounds?

Frequent Flyer: Am I still forbidden to bring my nail clippers on the plane?

D.C.: It sounds like you are turning the airport into a war zone. Why? How does this improve safety for 99.9 percent of fliers?

Washington, D.C.: What prevents someone dropping a loaded gun and killing people? Is it still safe to fly?

Another VCDL Victory

Thanks to Phillip Van Cleave and the good folks at the Virginia Citizens Defense League, another illegal gun ban has quashed.

Without debate, the board of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority unanimously agreed to permit passengers and other airport visitors to carry guns, knives and other weapons as long as they keep them out of terminals and other buildings that access airfields. Passengers who are taking guns with them on flights still will be allowed to carry them into the terminal but are supposed to make arrangements with airlines in advance, officials said.

Read the whole article . . . considering the Post's past rantings, its surprisingly well informed. I'd also recommend a visit to the Post's Message Board where Washington Post moderator Lindsay Howerton offered this response to a typical GFW

I don't see why someone who is into guns has to be labelled a "gun nut?" I don't get what your post is about other than pervasively attacking an entire group of people.

WOW!!!!

So, the question remains, why haven't YOU joined VCDL yet?

Wictory Wednesdays - a day late

This week's Wictory Wednesday is dedicated to securing the victory of Richard Burr over Bill Clinton's former Chief of Staff Erskin Bowles. Republican Richard Burr, who was 10 points behind Democrat Erskine Bowles, is rapidly moving up and the race is now dead even. It's only going to get better for Burr. North Carolina has no business electing a Democrat senator and this seat will be an easy GOP pickup in 2004.

However, Burr needs your help. The wealthy Bowles is pouring his own money into the race and Burr needs to counter him. If you don't want Democrats controlling the Senate, and continuing to prevent the appointment of judges who recognize the second amendment, please contribute whatever little you can to Burr's campaign.

Every Wednesday, hundreds of bloggers ask their readers to donate to an important Republican Senate campaign as part of Wictory Wednesday. If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays by e-mailing wictory@blogsforbush.com. They'll add you to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll and send you a reminder e-mail every Wednesday, explaining which Senate candidate to support that day.

Here is the list of blogs currently participating in Wictory Wednesdays:

Factcheck.com

Oooops!

Is this the biggest debate fuck up in history?

INDC Journal has lots more on it, including an interesting discussion of how this happened.

Da Debate

Cheney won easily. Not even close, but thats just my humble opinion. Between the can't stand with Howard Dean line and discussions of Edwards as Sen. Gone, I thought Cheney devestated him.

Of course, the Kerry blog (and Andrew Sullivan) are running this picture, as if that somehow discredits all Cheney stated. I don't think so, and in fact, I think it strengthens his position.

The picture is not of them shaking hands, but ratherof Edwards walking behind Cheney, with no indication of whether they actually met. Furthermore, the National Prayer Breakfast is an event that doesn't take place at the Capitol, but rather it seems to usually be at the Washington Hilton. The picture in no way disputes what Cheney said - that he had never met (that he could remember) Sen. Edwards, even though he presided over the Senate almost every Tuesday for 3 1/2 years, or that Edwards actually attended any Intelligence Committee hearings.

Regardless of this, I guess the bigger picture still remains . . . does anyone really care about the VP debate. Well, I think it was more important for Cheney to do good than it was for Edwards. I would have liked to see some of the softballs hit out of the park . . . yesterday morning I was talking to a White House staffer and urged them to use the "When did we ever invade Japan / Where did we land first after the attack on Pearl Harbor" line. They thought it was great, but Cheney didn't use it. Not sure if my sentiments just didn't make it up the line, or what not, but it would have been an easy one.

More later, though I feel like crap this morning (a couple of glasses of Bourbon will do that to you), so I don't know when later will be.

One More

Of course, Stieglitz influenced and mentored O'Keefe not only through his own works, but also the works of the other artists in his stable.

O'Keefe shaped an entire phase of her early east coast career upon the images the experiences and images she retained from Lake George (where I used to spend my summers as a child). This image from Steiglitz's collection, by Edward Steichen, is the predecessor to this entire phase of O'Keefe's career.


Edward Steichen (American, born Luxembourg, 1879–1973)
The Big White Cloud, Lake George, 1903, printed 1904
Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1933
Like the others, it too is at the Met.

Steiglitz

Here's another.

I've always been an Alfred Stieglitz fan, and in this piece in particular, his influence over Georgia O'Keefe is evident. His unique perspective of the world shaped the direction of her entire career. Its not often that a gallery owner becomes more than simply an agent or lover (of which Stieglitz was both), but also becomes the artistic inspiration and mentor.

Alfred Stieglitz (American, 1864–1946)
From the Back Window, 291, 1915
Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949

It too, is also in the Met's permanant collection.

Art Piece of the Week

I started doing this awhile back and sort of fell off.

Continuing on the gun thing that seems to be going on around here, I thought this image by Man Ray would make an excellent re-introduction of the Art Piece of the Week.


Man Ray (American, 1890–1976)
Compass, 1920
Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987

It is located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's permanant collection in New York City, in case your interested.

Cheney bate

While masterbating over thoughts of Dick Cheney (there has to be a joke there somewhere), Andrew Sullivan completely avoids the gauntlet thrown down by the mighty Instapundit.

We're often told that Congressional efforts to repeal the D.C. gun ban are an affront to D.C. citizens' right to self-rule. (See this post by Andrew Sullivan.) But those efforts are in support of an explicit Constitutional right to keep and bear arms -- and since D.C. isn't a state, there's none of the usual argument about whether the Second Amendment should apply to its efforts or not.

So would a Congressional effort to overturn state bans on gay marriage in support of an unenumerated right to marry constitute a similar affront to local autonomy? I'm just, you know, asking. . . .

Glenn might be asking, but Andrew's just avoiding. . . . .

Glenn has an interesting post. I'm basically against gun control and for gay rights - for much the same reason. Liberty, and all that.

Yeah, liberty and all that . . . . except when it might actually interfere with the plans of his liberal mastahs

it's a disgusting assault on the basic principles of democracy

Yeah, right Sully.

Why not bother reading the constitution some time?

Thank goodness the blogsphere also includes more sane members of the gay brigade (blogade???), like Alphecca's Jeff Soyer who opens up a can of constitutional whup ass on Sully.

I agree that DC residents have no say about the laws passed that govern them. I also think (and liberal Democrat Sullivan doesn't) that those residents should be afforded all the rights granted in our nation's Bill of Rights.

Jeff, then goes on and forces Sullivan, indeed all liberals, to confront the fallacious reasoning that steers their political beliefs.

Let me ask this: Liberals decry the Supreme Court for supposedly deciding the election of 2000. Let's take one of their most dear causes. Should the right to abortion be decided by popular vote? Every poll ever taken suggests that most (the majority) of Americans are against abortion.

Popular vote would change the way we live in dramatic ways. Sometimes we (or they) need the Bill of Rights to ensure that the minority isn't legislated out of existence. Democracy isn't pretty, and our balance of powers as enumerated by the Constitution isn't necessarily perfect, but it has worked well for two plus centuries and I see no reason to change it.

Of course, if he's gonna just brush off Professor Reynolds, its beyond wishful to hope he might actually confront the problems inherent in his own thinking that Jeff so deflty points out.


Thanks to Yellowdog for the original image.

Virgins no more

Leave it to Richard Branson. In news thats sure to please everyone from 13 year old boys up to old cronies like Hugh Hefner the international marketing genius just ensured passengers on his Virgin Airlines will always have the option of changing classes and losing that stigma.

"We are delighted that Virgin Atlantic is the first airline to offer this unique service. It has been one of my long held ambitions to have double beds onboard our aircraft and now, once again, we are leading the way in product innovation onboard our aircraft.

The award winning Upper Class Suite provides the passenger with by far the longest and most comfortable bed flying in the air today and now passengers can enjoy even 'suiter' dreams next to their loved ones!

In other news, this development is certain to reduce the number of needless security delays currently being experienced by travelers worldwide.

Hundreds of airline passengers suffered disruption to their travel plans when a major regional airport was shut down for an hour after a humming and vibrating adult sex toy was mistaken for a bomb.


The vibrator was discovered at 9:15 am (2315 GMT Sunday) by a security officer who checked out a suspicious package inside a rubbish bin at the terminal cafeteria of Mackay Airport in the northeastern state of Queensland, a police spokeswoman said.

The terminal was evacuated immediately while passengers who had just arrived from a flight, check-in staff, cafeteria employees and hire car personnel were all forced to leave.

Cafeteria manager Lynne Bryant said her staff had been cleaning tables when they noticed a strange humming noise coming from the rubbish bin.

"It was rather disconcerting when the rubbish bin started humming furiously," she said.

Bryant said at the time of the upheaval the airport had been quite busy with two main flights due in and out of the airport - wreaking havoc with people's schedules.

She said in retrospect the humming sounded exactly like a vibrator - but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"You can't afford to take chances," she added.

No, I guess you can't.

BBQ Daycare

W

Ok, what can someone expect to find on here? Hmm... sports, humor, BBQ, law school, and random pictures of hot women.

Sounds like a place worth visiting!!

BBQ Daycare

W

Ok, what can someone expect to find on here? Hmm... sports, humor, BBQ, law school, and random pictures of hot women.

Sounds like a place worth visiting!!

1000th Post

Hey, I didn't even realize it at the time. . . . but my debate wrap up post the other day was my 1000th.

Congrats to me!!!

Mount St. Helens

Check in regularly for visual updates.

Can Kerry Win?

Being a traitorous lout will cause this:

And let's face it, folks, John Kerry is really irritating.
There. I've said it. And, having broken the surface tension on that spleen blister, let me just get the rest of this off my chest once and for all....

Generally speaking, it would have been better for the future of the Republic if, upon eliminating Howard Dean, Kerry had been stashed in a location as undisclosed as the one where they usually keep Dick Cheney. Then he could have let Bush defeat himself through policies and actions that no sane electorate could have ratified.

But no. He insisted on campaigning, apparently under the misapprehension that to know him - or at least to know that virtual version of him his marketing wizards had wrapped around him - was to love him. This, unfortunately, has not been the general effect. Gradually, I have watched the steam go out of the Anybody-But-Bush crowd as we realized that anybody, in this instance, was the increasingly irksome John Kerry.

People who, several months ago, were ready to go door-to-door in Ohio in order to defeat Bush are unwilling to even campaign among their friends to elect John Kerry. And I have become, I must admit, one of these. Being an actual Kerry *supporter* just seems, well, un-cool.

It's just so sad that John Barlow's spent too much time in Berkley or San Francisco or Paris or Berlin or some other such place which long ago came to the conclusion that American should no longer have the right to decide who its leader will be.

Crossposted at TN4W.

A Flip or a Flop

Well, the debate's done but the question still remains just exactly what does John Kerry believe. Think you know now? Think again.

Ken Cuccinelli emailed me this great timeline of Kerry's flips. I only wish I had checked yesterday's email earlier in the day.

November 1997
Kerry believed Iraq was such “A grave threat to the well-being of our nation” that we must use force, unilaterally if necessary.

“[W]hile we should always seek to take significant international actions on a multilateral rather than a unilateral basis whenever that is possible, if in the final analysis we face what we truly believe to be a grave threat to the well-being of our Nation or the entire world and it cannot be removed peacefully, we must have the courage to do what we believe is right and wise.  I believe this is such a situation, Mr. President.  It is a time for resolve.”
-Congressional Record, 11/9/97, p. S12256.

November 1998 [SAME as previous position]
Kerry backs regime change in Iraq.

Fox’s Tony Snow: “Sen. Kerry, should it be official U.S. policy that we want to see Saddam Hussein removed from power, not necessarily assassinated, but removed from power?”

Sen. John Kerry: “I believe yes.  I believe I’ve been arguing for that for some time within the Intelligence Committee and elsewhere.”
-On Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday,” 11/15/98


September 2001 [SAME as previous position]
Kerry cited evidence of Hussein’s “efforts to try to secure” and test WMD.

Sen. Kerry: “… Saddam Hussein has used weapons of mass destruction against his own people, and there is some evidence of their efforts to try to secure these kinds of weapons and even test them.  That’s why it’s so vital that we get the global community to be part of this effort to begin to make their lives miserable…”
-On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” 9/23/01


December 2001 [SAME as previous position]
Kerry ready to include Hussein in war on terror.

Sen. Kerry: “Oh, I think we clearly have to keep the pressure on terrorism golbally.  This doesn’t end with Afghanistan by any imagination.  And I think the president has made that clear.  I think we have made that clear.  Terrorism is a global menace.  It’s a scourge.  And it is absolutely vital that we continue, for instance, Saddam Hussein.”
-On CNN’s “Larry King Live,” 12/14/01


October 2002 [SAME as previous position]
Kerry cited WMD as reason for his vote to authorize force against Iraq, calling them an “unacceptable threat.”

Sen. Kerry: “The Iraqi regime’s record over the decade leaves little doubt that Saddam Hussein wants to retain his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and to expand it to include nuclear weapons.  We cannot allow him to prevail in that quest.  The weapons are an unacceptable threat.”
-Remarks in the U.S. Senate, 10/9/02


January 2003 [FLIP]
Kerry decried “rush to war.”

“[W]hile American security must never be ceded to any institution or to another institution’s decision, I say to the President, show respect for the process of international diplomacy because it is not only right, it can make America stronger – and show the world some appropriate patience in buildling a genuine coalition.  Mr. President, do not rush to war.”
-Remarks at Georgetown University, 1/23/03


April 2003 [Consistent with previous flip]
As troops approached Baghdad, Kerry called for “regime change” in the United States.
-Glen Johnson, “Kerry Says U.S. Needs Its Own ‘Regime Change,’” The Boston Globe, 4/3/03


May 2003 [FLOP]
In the first Democrat debate, Kerry strongly supported President’s action In Iraq.

Sen. Kerry: “I said at the time I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and when the President made the decision, I supported him, and I support the fact that we did disarm him.”
-On ABC News, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Columbia, SC, 5/3/03


June 2003 [Consistent with previous flop]

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “I know you said you’re agnostic about whether or not he misled the public on weapons of mass destruction.  But do you have a hunch on whether you think they hyped the intelligence?”

Sen. Kerry: “George, again, I think it would be irresponsible of me at this point to draw conclusions prior to all the evidence being on the table.”
-On ABC’s “This Week,” 6/15/03


June 2003 [FLIP]
Three Days Later, Kerry (irresponsibly?) said President Bush misled on WMD.

“Kerry said Wednesday that President Bush broke his promise to build an international coalition against Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and then waged a war based on questionable intelligence.  ‘He misled every one of us,’ Kerry said.”
-Ron Fournier, “Kerry Says Bush Misled Americans On War,” The Associated Press, 6/18/03


September 2003 [FLIP? SAME? FLOP???]
Kerry claimed vote was to “threaten the use of force,” not to actually use force.

“I voted to threaten the use of force to make Saddam Hussein comply with the resolutions of the United Nations.  I believe that was right, but it was wrong to rush to war without building a true international coalition and with no plan to win the peace.”
-Remarks at announcement of candidacy, Patriot’s Point, South Carolina, 9/2/03


September 2003 [FLOP]
Kerry said that voting against the $87 billion supplemental funding for the war would be “irresponsible.”

Doyle McManus (L.A. Times): “If that amendment does not pass, will you then vote against the $87 billion?”

Sen. Kerry: “I don’t think any U.S. Senator is going to abandon our troops and recklessly leave Iraq to – to whatever follows as a result of simply cutting and running.  That’s irresponsible.”
-On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” 9/14/03


October 2003 [FLIP]
Kerry (irresponsibly?) voted against passage of the Iraq/Afghanistan supplemental funding.

-The bill provided approximately $65.6 billion for military operations and maintenance, $1.3 billion for veterans’ medical care, and $20 billion for infrastructure rebuilding.


January 2004 [Consistent with previous flip]
After voting for the war, and trailing candidate Howard Dean in the Democrat primaries, Kerry says he is an anti-war candidate.

Chris Matthews: “Do you think you belong to that category of candidates who more or less are unhappy with this war, the way it’s been fought, along with General Clark, along with Howard Dean and not necessarily in companionship politically on the issue of the war with people like Lieberman, Edwards and Gephardt?  Are you one of the anti-war candidates?”

Sen. Kerry: “I am – Yes.”
-On MSNBC’s “Hardball,” 1/6/04


 


March 2004 [FLOP & FLIP!]
Kerry says “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.”

-R. W. Stevenson and A. Nagourney, “Bush’s Campaign Emphasizes Role of Leader In War,” The New York Times, 3/17/04


August 2004 [FLOP]
Once again, Kerry is a war supporter.  “Knowing what we know now,” he would’ve voted for the war today.

Kerry stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon and said, "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it's the right authority for a president to have."


September 2004 [fuzzy FLIP]
Once again, Kerry is the anti-war candidate.  Says America would be more secure with Hussein still in power.


“[W]e have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure.”
-Sen. Kerry’s speech at NYU against the Iraq War, 9/20/04

September 2004 [finishing the FLIP]
Kerry completes the anti-war flip from his August 2004 flop…

"We should not have gone to war knowing the information that we know today.… Knowing there was no imminent threat to America, knowing there were no weapons of mass destruction, knowing there was no connection of Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, I would not have gone to war.  That's plain and simple."
-On ABC’s “Good Morning America” on 9/29/04

Not to pat ourselves on the back, but... you've got to admit there's no way you could've kept track of all of these positions without our help!