More Vietnam Vets

Glen Reynolds blogged a bit today (with great photos about the annual Rolling Thunder parade in D.C. and the Washington Post article on the event.

I didn't mention it in my previous post, but as we were driving down, just south of Harrisonburg, we passed a long procesion of motorcycles heading north for th event. I'd estimate that for at least 10 minutes a trail of bikers was driving north. It was a pretty damn impressive sight to see.

At Dinner the talk once again turned to the stickers my father in law printed up with 4 of his buddies in the 69th Armor Division Association:. He was saying that the other day (while still in D.C. and before heading down here) that he was stopped at a traffic light when a two seater Audi sportscar pulled up. The guy in the passanger seat was yelling at him and pointing to his sticker, and making a big deal out of it. His name - Wesley Clarke.

As the Col. said tonite - what a feckless wimp.
Always has been. Always will be.

The Trip South, OrWhatever Happened To Knoxville and Guns, BBQ, and Sweet Tea

Had a nice leisurely ride down to Chattanooga. We left D.C. a little late and got stuck in some horrid traffic on I-66 west and it ended up taking us 2 1/2 hours to reach Manassas. Yuck! Anyway, once the traffic cleared it was smooth sailing and we spent the night in Roanoke - where we enjoyed some great ice cream at Brewsters before driving into town.


I had never been to Roanoke before - only stopping along I-81 to get gas or stay in a hotel. As we drove down into the city, along a seven mile long strip of fast food joints, pawn shops, and car dealerships, we were not expecting much (and my wife kept saying "I don't think there is a downtown, this is probably it"). Well, we found the downtown - coming upon a gorgeous Hotel Roanoke in all its Tudor splendor. Just beyond, on a hilltop overlooking the city was a stunning Cathedral and as we continued into the historic downtown, we were greeted by a most welcome sight

(Check Out This Great Page of Historic Signs)
Now, let me tell you, any place that celebrates Dr. Pepper is fine by me, and it didn't take more than this sign to convince me that Roanoke is just fine by me. Of course, the happening historic downtown, where we saw no less than 7 bars hosting live bands - from punk to bluegrass to folk to straight ahead rock and roll - was really bustling at 11:00 pm and has a looking at the calendar to find time to truly explore this fine and deserving railroad town.

After waking up and leisurely packing the car we continued heading south, hitting little traffic and arriving in Knoxville around noon. Its been a couple of years since I last stopped off in Knoxville, and to be fair, its been 12 years since I lived there (boy, does time fly), but all I've got to ask is - What Has happened to Knoxvegas????

We got off on Summit Avenue and drove through the Old City which looked pretty run down compared to its re-vamped splendor 12 years ago. Followed it up to Gay Street - which hasn't looked great in decades but looked especially quite on a Saturday afternoon and drove around the TVA buildings and market square. It was nice to see Market Square full of people and I always liked the street art in downtown Knoxville - it was still there. Its also nice to see they have opened the bridge over the Worlds Fair Park to vehicular traffic again. We took Eleventh Street down to Cumberland and drove up to the Krystals where I was greeted by a shocking sight - the Strip no longer exists. The Library is gone . . . the Last Lap is gone (The Last Lap - the sleaziest bar ever, I thought that place would survive Armageddon, what with its trough like urinal and moat of puke) - both have been replaced by new, giant, chain drug stores - at least the Tap Room was still around. Beyond those two disappearances, it seemed 75 percent of the storefronts on the Strip had closed down.

Is this a temporary thing?

Is Knoxville really hurting that bad??

Is this what happens when a Campus goes dry???

Enquiring minds want to know.

After stopping off at the McMillans and picking up some of the requisite UT wear for the son (and a golf shirt for me) we continued on our merry way south without any sign of the Instapundit himself.

Our trip was delayed once more with a brief stop in Sweetwater at the Western Wear store where we proceeded to purchase the son his first pair of cowboy boots. Look for pictures real soon.

Of course, it was a bit warm and my wife decided to leave the car running with the air conditioning on - locking the door and not realizing that the remote door locks don't work with the car running. With our only set of keys in the ignition, she had to go ask the nice folks at the Sweetwater Western Wear store to call a cop (who, surprisingly was a women, but not surprisingly was packing a Glock - as was I) for us to open our doors - I've never been so embarrassed in my life, and she isn't going to forget about this one for a long long long time.

Once that was set, it was only a short ride further to our home and after unpacking, taking a short break to shoot a couple of old rotten apples and some golf balls with the 10/22, we hopped in the car and headed out to Armstrong's BBQ in Summerville, GA. (A review is located here (they were sold out of the Stew by the time we arrived tonite as well) and another great one is located here.) Some people, my wife included, think that the Fresh Aire BBQ in Jackson, GA is the best in the world - and its dam fine BBQ - but I just love Armstrong's. Were going to Jackson on Tuesday and I'll post a report then, but tonite I had the double minced pork plate with Armstrong's famous vinegar based spicy tomato sauce, slaw, beans, some sliced pickles and Sweet Tea.

Folks, it doesn't get much better than that - guns, BBQ and Sweet Tea.

Mmm Mmm Mmm

Has Iran declared war on the U.S.????

Clayton Cramer has posted a very interesting piece about Iran.

The previous day, Iranian sources had statements on the same issue. At a ceremony marking the four-year anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, reformist MP and Secretary-General of the International Committee for the Support of the Palestinian Intifada Ali Akbar Makhatashemi-Pour called on Muslim countries to open their borders with Iraq to troops of Muslim martyrdom bombers. "We, the Muslim countries, must create a storm front against the U.S. and Israel. The half-million member organization that was created in Beirut [i.e., Hizbullah] is not sufficient. Many young Muslims are willing to carry out martyrdom operations against the American Crusaders." [3]

The Iranian reformist paper Sharq reported that the Persian-language Ruydad website stated that Hizbullah-Iran activist Forouz Rajaii-Far said that "martyrdom operations are the only option to expel the Americans and British from Iraq," and that a Basij activist from Elm Vasonaat University in Iran acknowledged that a group calling itself the "To Karbala Battalion" was sent on May 27, 2004 to Karbala to fight the coalition forces. [4]

[3] Sharq (Iran), May 27, 2004. http://www.sharghnewspaper.com/830307/gover.htm

[4] Sharq (Iran), May 27, 2004. http://www.sharghnewspaper.com/830307/gover.htm. The Basij is an Iranian paramilitary youth volunteer organization involved in anti-reformist operations.

Clayton doesn't have anyone fluent in Arabic who can check out the sources. My father in law tells me that the links are actually in Farsi which he is fluent in, but that he can't really read Arabic. I don't have anyone here in Chattanooga who can either, though I have a neighbor who does this kind of thing for a living as a defense intelligence contrator. I've passed the links along to him and will post his response when I get it.

Light Blogging Alert

I'm off. Its Memorial Day weekend and I am heading South for some sun, some fun, lots of BBQ, a bit of beer, slightly more bourbon, and the unleashing of enough hot lead down range to make He Who Shall Not Be Named envious.

Seriously, its not like I can't buy ammo there - but I have thousands of rounds going on vacation with me.

Postings will be light all week, but I promise to check in now and again with an update and maybe some pretty pictures.

They Say I'm A New Yorker

Grew up just outside of it, but the Republican Convention will be my first trip back into the City since I don't know when. For me, the city went downhill when Gulianni was elected. Sure, I like Rudy, but I like my NYC with a healthy dollop of booze, sleeze, sex, and grime -Its NY F'ing City - not Disney Land!!!

Take the quiz and decide for yourself, "Which American City Are You?"

New York
You're competative, you like to take it straight to the fight. You gotta have it all or die trying.

Personal Info

Sarah Hempel has another one of these great blogsphere time wasters on her site. What we really need Sarah is more sculting and art history. But, alas, I am going to jump into this abyss as well.

Spring Edition of "Getting to Know Your Friends:"

What time did you get up?
- 6:30 a.m. My son actually woke me at 5:30 a.m. and I picked him up and carried him into bed. Nothing in the worlds better than snoozing with a baby.

If you could eat lunch with one person, who would it be?
- Me wife or my son

Gold or Silver?
- Silver

What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
- Don't remember. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King probably. We are going to go see Harry Potter when it comes out though!

What is your favorite TV show?
- I liked Frasier. I really like the Motorcycle show in discovery with the Orange County Chopper's people. Other than that - I watch alot of movies on TMC, AMC, and fromt he rental store . . . and football in the fall.

What do you have for breakfast?
- Oatmeal. This morning it was hot, but I prefer it uncooked with whole milk

What would you hate to be stuck in a room with?
- nauseating smell

What/Who inspires you?
- my son, Al Gore (he inspires me to work harder to defeat all that is evil in the world)

What is your middle name?
- too much info - though if the oatmeal thing doesn't give it away . . . Let me just say it was my uncles name.

Beach, city, or country?
- How about Mountains and Country.

Favorite Ice Cream?
- Pistacio

Butter, plain, or salted popcorn?
- Butter and salt

Favorite Color?
- Green

What kind of car do you drive?
- no car. I had a black 1999 Saab 9-3 SE and I sold it last night!!!!!!!!

Favorite Sandwich?
- Sarah likes Finger sandwiches at tea time - they are very good. But I like Ham and Cheese sub sandwhiches or tuna fish.

Favorite Flower?
- Hydranga (sp??)

If you could go anywhere in the world on a vacation, where would it be?
- New Zealand

What color is your bathroom?
- Light green

Favorite brand of clothing?
- don't have one

Favorite place to retire?
- mountains in the country

Favorite day of the week?
- Saturday, get to spend it with my son.

What did you do for your last birthday?
- don't remember. I think I went to dinner with my wife.

Where were you born?
- Montclaire NJ

Favorite sport to watch?
- football on TV baseball in person.

What fabric detergent do you use?
- Arm and Hammer

Coke or Pepsi?
- Dr. Pepper

Are you a morning person or a night owl?
- Night owl

Do you have any pets?
- I have a Black Lab named after a famous Civil War General.

Great New Blog Discovery

Just discovered another great new blogThe Mud and the Blood and the Beer. I highly recommend a trip over there - especially to check out today's post on Guns and Butter. Trust me, its a great story.

Kudo's to The-Crease for the heads up.

The Day After Tomorrow Enviro's will destroy our economy.

With the ridiculous Day After Tomorrow movie coming out this weekend, and John McCain certain to renew his efforts to cripple the American economy by imposing drastic caps on carbon dioxide emissions, I thought I would take the time to remind everyone that the McCain - Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act is nothing more than the Kyoto Protocol (which the Senate soundly rejected a few years ago) in a See Through Negligee (thanks to Sen. Inhofe's staff for that line!)

IN a ridiculous editorial today, The New York Times discusses how the Day After Tomorrow is a big dumb summer blockbuster but should nevertheless be praised for drawing attention to the one issue it thinks might lead to Kerry’s defeat of George W. Bush.

But the special effects are terrific, and the timing couldn't be better. Scientists, environmentalists and a few lonely politicians have been trying without great success to get the public and the Bush administration to take global warming seriously, and to inject the issue into a presidential campaign that so far seems determined to ignore it.

According to the New York Times, the movie is so important on this note, that even a venerable institution like the American Museum for Natural History in Manhattan offered to host the premier in the Hall of Biodiversity. Yep, that’s right, the Hall of Biodiversity. Biodiversity, for those untrained in the liberal ways is a favorite of the moonbats – incorporating both Diversity (except where it includes things they don’t like, such as conservatives and unborn white children) and Bio (the term for all things living, life, and nature – except for little babies, especially the unborn kind).
Now, for what its worth – I grew up outside of New York in the North Jersey Suburbs. This was always my favorite museum and we would routinely go multiple times each year, both with my family and on school trips. I think I know about the hall they are discussing – with the great whale in it – but it was never, ever, ever called the Hall of Biodiversity. Chalk up another great institution lost to the moonbats.

In any event, the purpose of the New York Times editorial is not simply to attack Bush or promote the movie or the Hall of Biodiversity, but also to promote Senator John McCain’s latest attack on the U.S. economy. First he outlawed free speech and now, along with Joe Lieberman and John Fuckface Fonda Kerry, he is going to try to outlaw automobiles – or at least impose an immediate $0.55 tax on the price of gas.

Senator John McCain is among the believers, expressing the hope that the film may win a few more votes for a bill he's co-sponsoring with Senator Joseph Lieberman. That bill would slowly begin to reduce industrial carbon-dioxide emissions, which are a huge part of the problem. Despite its over-the-top story, the film does leave you with the unnerving feeling that the natural world deserves far more respect than we and our leaders are giving it. "We'll take all the help we can get," said Mr. McCain, who got 43 votes for his bill the last time around. He plans to bring it back to the Senate floor before Congress's July 4 recess.

Yes, as the New York Times (not the most credible paper anymore, ya know) points out, the McCain Lieberman Anti Economic Bill “slowly reduces carbon dioxide emissions.” This is all part of the big lie these moonbats are pushing. The other half of it is that this bill is somehow different than Kyoto and corrects that flawed documents mistakes.
Well then, lets look at these bills in more detail:
These are the gases each covers:

Kyoto

Carbon Dioxide;

methane;

nitrous oxide;

hydrofluorocarbons;

perfluorocarbons; and

hexafluoride.

McCain Lieberman

Carbon Dioxide;

methane;

nitrous oxide;

hydrofluorocarbons;

perfluorocarbons; and

hexafluoride.

They both impose emissions caps.

Kyoto caps emissions at 1990 levels.
McCain Lieberman caps emissions first at 2000 levels, then ratchets them down to 1990 levels, then provides for further ratcheting down. Beyond 1990 levels.

Under Kyoto the first commitment period for emission reductions is between 2008-2012.
Under McCain Lieberman, reductions occur first in 2010 and then in 2016.

They both allow emissions trading, mandatory emissions reporting, carbon sequestration and development of carbon sinks, verification, and future ratcheting of emissions.

Perhaps most importantly, they are both tarted at the U.S. Economy and neither imposes any restrictions on the activities of rapidly developing nations like China or India, both of whom are set to surpass U.S. Carbon emissions shortly and already far exceed U.S. emissions of almost all other pollutants, including mercury. In fact, most of the anthropogenic mercury that is deposited in the U.S. originates in China, not in U.S. power plants or factories . . . but don’t expect John Fuckface Fonda Kerry or his comrades in the environmental scaremonger industry to let you know that.


Anyway, Joe Lieberman, John McCain and the NRDC greenie enviro’s keep telling us their bill is different than Kyoto and should be passed.

Well, can someone explain what the difference is to me??

This was originally posted in a different form yesterday, but because of problems with a table I attached I have reformulated the post.

The Only Nice Thing I Am Going To Say About Mayor Daley In A Long Time

Yes, that right. I have something nice to say about the less than wonderful mayor of Chicago. If the quote in the Chicago Sun Times is accurate, then Daley earns at least a shred of my respect.

When someone falls . . . you should not wish ill upon anyone. It's not right. . . . You just don't do that. Let's have some respect for one another."

To Daley, Kerry's remark symbolized a hate-filled brand of politics the mayor has long despised.

"The thing I worry about in politics is all of these people hating one another [saying], 'I hate Kerry', 'I hate Bush.' I wish the former presidents -- Carter and Ford and Clinton and Bush -- would all get up and tell people, 'You may support candidates, but don't hate the other candidate.'

"You see too much hate. And I'll tell you one thing -- hate will turn on people. . . . When hate gets in politics, it's a very, very dangerous aspect."

Mayor Daley is correct.
There, its done. I've said something nice about Daley.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming . . . .

I wonder how this fits into his larger agenda?

The Plague

Yes, the The Plague of interns is finally upon us.

Do you have your own little minions? Last year I had the left wing pinko intern who couldn't work for me - and quite within 1 week. This year - I don't have my own inter but have a fan club of interns who worship at the entrance to my workspace, hoping to see and touch a real live Republican and lament the derth of diversity on our college campuses.

Sadly, my intern disciples are all of the male species and have not branched out to include any of the cute, big boobed, tight pink sweater wearing female variety. . . though the maritial relations are invariably better as a result - not that any WashPo approved behaviour would occur.

Wonked On Traffic

Traffic? What traffic?

Iced Earth

This is quickly becoming a musical blog . . . first iTunes and now heavy metal.

Anyway, here is a direct link to the Iced Earth interview Andrew Sullivan was talking about. Read the whole thing. Its classic. Here is a great blurb . . .

BW&BK: "Do you think Americans are as free as they think they are?"

JS: "Um... yeah, I do. In most ways. If you're saying you should be able to drink when you're 16 years old like you can in Germany, is that the kind of freedoms you're talking about?"

BW&BK: "Well, sometimes Americans believe they're very free, when they're sometimes not. There are a lot of authors, especially a guy like Noam Chomsky, who believes a lot of consent in the US is manufactured by politicians and corporations --"

JS: "Talk about one of the fuckin' ultra leftist spin doctors of the world, Noam Chomsky. You buy into that crap?"

BW&BK: "Well, I read a lot of his stuff."

JS: "But do you believe it all?"

BW&BK: "I have a degree in political science, so I believe some of it."

JS: "Hmm. Yeah. Well. And how old are you?"

BW&BK: "I'm 22."

JS: "22 years old? That's a lot of wisdom there! Come on, man. You know where I live? In the real world. When I was 16 years old I was living in abandoned houses and making my way into a career. Building things up from nothing without any kind of... well... socialist system to help me. That made me a very strong, independent person. I'm an independent thinker. Just because I get certain things shoved down my throat, I don't follow. I lead. Y'know what I'm saying? I look at the facts, and I base my opinions on the facts. Not the political rantings of someone like Noam Chomsky. I've got some of his books in my library. I think they're unbelievably over-the-top, like dangerously so. But that's you've got out there."

Iced Lefty

Andrew Sullivan has a great excerpt from an interview with John Schaffer of the heavy metal band Iced Earth. John is being interviewed by some lefty Canadian who just doesn't have a clue. His responses show a much greater understanding of reality than you would otherwise image arock star to have.

By The Way. . .Iced Earth is the band Tim "Ripper" Owens joined after leaving Judas Priest to make way for Rob Halford's return. Ripper, as you are probably aware, was a Judas Priest cover band singer who was hired by Priest when Rob Halford left. The movie Rock Star was based upon his story - though they changed the facts quite a bit.

A Night At The Opera

Sorry bout the overabundance of Queen here, but I just wanted to stress that if your not familiar with this album, go out and buy it now!!!!! Here is a great review.

Review Written by Daniel Giambruno
A Night At The Opera - Released on 21st November 1975

Chart Info - UK: 1 (50 weeks on chart), USA: 4 (56 weeks on chart), Japan: 9 (52 weeks on chart)

It doesn't get any better than this. As far as I'm concerned this is the greatest album recorded in Rock History. Curiously, it was the first Queen album I ever had (technically speaking, it belonged to my brother though). It was recorded in a time when Rock Artists used to experiment with big and unusual sounds and whatever they recorded was an attempt to share a place with the Olympian Gods. Mind you, if it wasn't for this way of approaching music, we wouldn't have albums like Led Zeppelin IV and Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon among others.

The amazing thing is that A Night At The Opera hasn't aged either, it remains fresh and powerful and if it wasn't because it's so good (and obviously well known) you could believe we are listening to a current recording. Probably, Queen's reluctance to use synthesizers (in a time when synthesizers sounded like toys) has a lot to do with it. Freddie's voice and the sound of Brian's red special guitar have never been so abundant and balanced between them like they are in this album (with the exception, maybe, of Queen II.

Right from the beginning, the excellent Death On Two Legs lets us know that this is not your average heavy metal album, a blend of classical music and hard rock characterizes this song written by Freddie that would cause them some legal problems. Since the song is dedicated to someone whose name is never stated and with lyrics such as You suck my blood like a leech, You break the law and you breach, Screw my brain till it hurts, You've taken all my money - you still want more, ..., Norman Sheffield, by then owner of Trident Studios (company that paid them peanuts even after the success of Killer Queen and Now I'm Here) believed that the song was about him and threatened Queen with suing them. In order to avoid jeopardizing the release of the album, Queen agreed to pay him a substantial amount of money. Years later in the Live Killers version of Death On Two Legs, Freddie's introduction prior to the song would provoke some censorship beeps due to the nature of his words about the recipient of the dedication but apparently he took good care of not mentioning any name once again.

Another of Freddie's songs follows almost without a break right after Death On Two Legs, the short and burlesque Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon and with these two songs Queen already establishes the operatic spirit of the album. I'm In Love With My Car, one of Roger's classics, not only shows his passion for four-wheeled objects but it also becomes a source of inspiration for many Heavy Metal bands to come. All the fury of I'm In Love With My Car is immediately contrasted by You're My Best Friend, an easy to listen ballad written by John that would become his first super hit Another One Bites The Dust and I Want To Break Free.

Brian sings a science fiction story in his folk song '39, despite the excellence of this ballad, songs like this wouldn't be repeated in Queen's career and it would take more than a decade for Brian, the author himself, to do something similar, not as good though, in his solo album Back To The Light with the song Let Your Heart Rule Your Head, which in live performances would be blended with the opening of '39. Written also by Brian, Sweet Lady show us once more how Queen are capable to go from a peaceful piece of music to a furious heavy metal in a matter of seconds. Seaside Rendezvous is Queen in vaudeville style once again. A really amusing and enjoyable song where Freddie and Roger are in charge of the vocal orchestration of Brass and Woodwind.

In a completely different mood, The Prophet's Song is an extraordinary display of Queen's vocal capabilities and its apocalyptic lyrics are of a Biblical nature, a recurrent subject in Queen's career Jesus and All God's People among many others). Not knowing exactly where The Prophet's Song ends, one of the best songs of the album starts: Freddie's Love Of My Life. History hasn't been fair enough with this amazing ballad and some people only know the live version released some years later but if you want to listen to Freddie at his best (and Brian playing the harp) you must listen this studio version. Freddie would write similar songs in forthcoming albums but nothing exactly quite like it.
Brian swaps the harp for an ukulele in Good Company, another song that matches the classy old fashioned mood of the album and with it Brian gives more evidence of his storytelling skills.

Finally, Bohemian Rhapsody, more than a song an anthem. Queen's first piece of music to be included in the eternal jukebox. It is one of those master pieces that are impossible to describe with words because its musical value is not transferable, it is out there to be listened to and most people don't get tired of doing it.

With the videos for Bohemian Rhapsody and You're My Best Friend, this album inaugurated Music Video as a promotional tool for singles released thereafter. However, A Night At The Opera wasn't recorded having some sort of visual aid in mind and therefore, music and lyrics appeal to your senses on their own. I consider myself lucky of first seeing the Video for Bohemian Rhapsody a few years later than when it was made. Even when I really like it and it gives me a chance to see my favourites stars, it couldn't possibly match such an opus like Bohemian Rhapsody the song. I firmly believe that Music Videos are not necessarily a great help for good songs since these ones make you create your own ever changing pictures in your mind, pictures that are destroyed when the video is released.

The last song of the album is Queen's respectful version of God Save The Queen but its expected solemnity is still obscured by the magnificence of Bohemian Rhapsody, an anthem of a much wider kind. God Save The Queen would be useful in the future to close Queen concerts.

If you don't have A Night At The Opera go and buy it, even if you already have a copy of Bohemian Rhapsody in some compilation. There are songs that you'll only find in this album like Death On Two Legs and the studio version of Love Of My Life that are worth more than what you ever could pay for the whole album; make sure you're buying the digitally remastered version.

Produced by Roy Thomas Baker & Queen, engineered by Mike Stone & Gary Lyons, recorded at Sarm, Roundhouse, Olympic, Rockfield, Scorpio and Lansdowne Studios, England. Sleeve concept by Queen, art direction by David Costa.

Freddie Mercury : Vocals, Vocals, Bechstein Debauchery and more Vocals

Brian May : Guitars, Harp, Genuine Aloha Ukelele, vocals and Orchestral Backdrops

Roger Taylor : Percussion and vocals

John Deacon : Electric Bass, Double Bass and Electric Piano

No synthesizers!

I can't stress enough how good this album is. In its honor - here is another song lyric from it . . . the opening track - Death on Two Legs

Death on Two Legs (Dedicated To...)
Words and music by Freddie Mercury

You suck my blood like a leech
You break the law and you preach
Screw my brain till it hurts
You've taken all my money
And you want more
Misguided old mule with your pig headed rules
With your narrow minded cronies
Who are fools of the first division
Death on two legs
You're tearing me apart
Death on two legs
You've never had a heart of your own
Kill joy bad guy big talking small fry
You're just an old barrow boy
Have you found a new toy to replace me?
Can you face me?
But now you can kiss my ass goodbye
Feel good are you satisfied?
Do you feel like suicide?
(I think you should)
Is your conscience all right
Does it plague you at night?
Do you feel good feel good?

You talk like a big business tycoon
You're just a hot air balloon
So no one gives you a damn
You're just an overgrown schoolboy
Let me tan your hide
A dog with disease
You're the king of the 'sleaze'
Put your money where your mouth is
Mister know-all
Was the fin on your back
Part of the deal? (Shark)
Death on two legs
You're tearing me apart
Death on two legs
You've never had a heart (you never did) of your own
(Right from the start)
Insane you should be put inside
You're a sewer rat decaying in a cesspool of pride
Should be made unemployed
Then make yourself null and void
Make me feel good I feel good

Sluts

As the few and stalwart are willing to proclaim, Washingtonienne and her ilk are nothing but a bunch of sluts.

Monday Song Lyric

Today's song lyric has a double meaning for me. I just sold my Saab 9-3 SE - the first big purchase I made after graduating law school and the sign (to me at least) that I had made it. I had always wanted to get a Saab growing up - and still think at some point I will purchase an older Saab and fix it up. However, the 9-3 ended up being essentially a lemon. The first year was great, but after that I was looking at 1000 to 1500 every spring and every fall on some repair or another - AC compressor, turbo charger, ball joints, information display screen, computer components, etc. It just got to be too much of a hassle - and Virginia was insisting on appraising it for far more than it was worth (the last property tax appraisal was for over twice what i eventually sold it for).

So, while I am happy to have sold the car, I still suffer from a sense of melancholy about the whole ordeal. We haven't purchased another car yet but I suspect that my wife will not let me have a "fun" car for some time now. A period of my life is over.

Notwithstanding the mechanical problems, the car was a beauty. It was fast . . . very fast. It handled like a dream. It was comfortable and the leather seats cradled the driver perfectly.

In its honor - today's song lyric is the classic Queen song I'm In Love With My Car.

I'm In Love With My Car is a rocking number, recently picked up by Jaguar for use in their new commercials, from Queen's masterpiece A Night At The Opera. Most famous for the ode to over the top rock and roll music excess Bohemian Rhapsody, a Night At The Opera for me clearly shines as Queens best album.

Here is what the iTunes music store has to say about it

Though they began their career practicing an artier, more theatrical variant on the Led Zeppelin heavy rock sound, Queen was always capable of much more. Ultimately, Freddie and the boys were popsters at heart, and capable ones to boot. A NIGHT AT THE OPERA is where they begin to show their eclecticism and compositional facility. The album title is probably a reference to the FM rock anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody," which begins as an existential ballad before moving into a mock-operatic section featuring scores of overdubbed Freddie Mercury's.

"Rhapsody" is just the tip of the iceberg here. "Lazy on a Sunday Afternoon" is a music hall ditty that owes a debt to the Kinks. "'39" is a surprisingly poignant folk rocker written and sung by Brian May. "Your My Best Friend" is pure '70s AM melodic pop. Queen even ventures in vaudeville territory (given Mercury's show biz leanings, not as much of a stretch as one might think) on the fatalist, old-timey "Good Company." There are several souped-up rockers here as well, but it's A NIGHT AT THE OPERA'S winning stylistic experimentation that makes it a milestone in Queen history.

While a compentent review, it in no way touches upon the significance of this record for me. When it was released in 1975 and my father purchased it I was 4 years old. I soon found myself listening to this album continually for a couple of years. It became the earliest soundtrack to my life (at least side 1) and started me on a life long journey of finding newer and ever more eclectic music to enjoy. Still, I always find time for the basics. And this is it for me.

The opening track, Death On Two Legs, is heavy metal at its mid 70s best with an erie (D minor) rolling piano intro that is soon overtaken by the pulsating distorted thumping bass of John Deacon and power chords of Brian May before his blistering lead hits. I didn't like this song as a 5 year old, but as I grew into a metal head in the 80s, this was the threshold all others needed to pass. Lazy On A Sunday Afternoon and Seaside Rendevouz delighted my 5 year old senses and was as accessible for a child as any Sesame Street Song. They still send shivers up my spine. Your My Best Friend was instantly recognizable to me as one of the more popular songs of the era and still strikes me as one of the better pop songs to come out of the 70s. Sweet Lady, a top notch arena rocker, improves exponentially on the efforts of Boston and really created the genre. '39 is as good of a folk rocker as any released in the time period.

I never really was a fan of the flip side or Bohemian Rhapsody. While I can respect it, I find the second side mostly a distraction for the ground breaking work on the first side. Bohemian Rhapsody of course is a rock and roll juggernaut (even without Wayne and Garth's assistance). Still it pales (for me) in comparison to the influence of the first side.

Perhaps my favorite song on the album, is of course, today's Song Lyric. In Love With My Car, written by drummer Roger Taylor who also wrote the mega hit Radio GaGa ten years later, was originally released as the B-Side to Bohemian Rahpsody (on which he provided the high notes). Roger Taylor along with Brian May founded the band Smile in 1968 and quickly embarked on a tour in support of Pink Floyd. In 1969 the third member of the band introduced Roger and Brian to Farookh "Freddie" Bulsara and by 1971 he had joined the band and changed his name to Mercury as Smile became Queen. John Deacon, the fourth and final member, joined shorlty afterward.

I'm In Love With My Car Lyrics
Words and music by Roger Taylor

The machine of a dream
Such a clean machine
With the pistons a pumpin'
And the hub caps all gleam

When I'm holdin' your wheel
All I hear is your gear
When my hand's on your grease gun
Oh it's like a disease son

I'm in love with my car
Gotta feel for my automobile
Get a grip on my boy racer rollbar
Such a thrill when your radials squeal

Told my girl I'll have to forget her
Rather buy me a new carburetor
So she made tracks sayin'
This is the end now
Cars don't talk back
They're just four wheeled friends now

When I'm holdin your wheel
All I hear is your gear
When I'm cruisin' in overdrive
Don't have to listen to no run of the mill talk jive

I'm in love with my car
Gotta feel for my automobile
I'm in love with my car
String back gloves in my automolove

Maybe there is still hope

According to the Washington Post slighltly more than a third of American's don't trust Bush on the environment.

Yeah, big deal, so what. Tell us something we don't know, you say????

How about 24 percent don't trust Kerry!!!!

But wait . . . . it gets better.

When asked if they trusted Kerry alot - only 12 percent agreed. Asked the same question of Bush and 26% agreed.

Interesting . . . . . .

Who Are You

Making the rounds at Says Uncle
1. Which political party do you typically agree with?

Libertarian

2. Which political party do you typically vote for?

Republican

3. List the last five presidents that you voted for?


1992 – Andre Marrou (was living in Rhode Island)
1996 – Harry Brown (was living in Vermont)
2000 - Bush

4. Which party do you think is smarter about the economy?

I'd like to say the Republicans, and most of the time they are philosophically but they do tend to lose their way and get very distratcret by moral crusades and the like. Their stunning failure of leadership on the hill has been the source of much of their recent problems. Lott was a lemon from the get go (they should have elected Thad Cochran) and Frist has turned out to be rather limp wristed in his leadership . . . consistantly refusing to spar with the Ds. As a result, they've failed in the senate. House leadership is much better, for what its worth. Both are better than where the Dems want to be, but not necessarily from where we end up under Democratic control.

I disagree with Says Uncle on this account - I think strong leadership on the hill can effect dramatic economic change - its just that it is in such short supply we don't often times see evidence of it.

5. Which party do you think is smarter about domestic affairs?

Libertarian

6. Do you think we should keep our troops in Iraq or pull them out?

Keep them in. Better to have our military fight terrorists in Iraq than have our unarmed civilian population have to fight them here in the states.

7. Who, or what country, do you think is most responsible for 9/11?

Its Bill Clinton's lasting legacy.

8. Do you think we will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

We already have

9. Yes or no, should the U.S. legalize marijuana?

Yes

10. Do you think the republicans stole the last presidential election?

No. I know that the Democrats tried to steal it and were stopped.

11. Do you think Bill Clinton should have been impeached because of what he did with Monica Lewinski?

Not sure about the actual sexual escapades. Considering the age difference and how illegal it would be for a corporate executive to be invovled in that type of relationship, I am troubled by it. For the coverup, and lying under oath, yes. He is an attorney and the nations chief law enforcement officer. If he can't tell the truth under oath how are we expected to believe ANYTHING any police officer or military offical says under oath. His lie undercut the foundation for our legal system.

12. Do you think Hillary Clinton would make a good president?

She will never be elected so its a moot point. But no. I do not. See #7 above.

13. Name a current democrat who would make a great president:

Zell Miller, Sam Nunn.

14. Name a current republican who would make a great president:

George W. Bush, Bill Owens

15. Do you think that women should have the right to have an abortion?

Everyday I carry my sidearm (not while in DC) and choose whether or not I will commit a murder with it. So far I have chosen no, and I can't imagine me ever changing my mind.

Likewise, women have the right to choose. They can choose to murder their babies or they can choose to protect and nurture their babies. I respect each choice but think that like any murderer, there should be consequences to be paid for committing that murder (though they would still have the choice to do so).

Of course - I am still open as to what point conception takes place. I used to not think about it, but assumed the first trimester argument of the fetus killers was reasonable. That changed when my wife was pregnant with my son and we went to the doctors early on and he put a device on her stomach and played my sons heartbeat for us. If a baby has a heartbeat its alive. So, while I might accept the use of the "Morning after pill" as not being the same as murder - I don't know exactly how far beyond that I am willing to go.

16. What religion are you?

Episcopalian

17. Have you read the Bible all the way through?

I've read many parts of it and probably have read most of it now, but never as a novel. As Says Uncles Says "I can’t make it through The Old Testament. There’s only so much So and so begat so and so and so and so begat so and so a sane person can take."

18. What’s your favorite book?

I don't know. Jury is still out. I like the Stephen Ambrose books. Like Tolkein. Like the Narnia Chronicles. Like a lot of historical books. London, Sarum, etc. Thinks like that. I don't know if I have a favorite book. Old Man and the Sea maybe??

19. Who is your favorite band?

Hmmm, don't know.

Over the years I would have listed Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Phish, Widespread Panic, The Grateful Dead, Joe Walsh, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, The Mother Earth (UK band), Primal Scream, Shockra, The Jam, the Rolling Stones, Primus, Foo Fighters, Davd Bowie, various itinerations of Miles Davis's band, the Groove Collective, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, Santana, Smashing Pumpkins, the Aquarium Rescue Unit.

I listen to all of them now, though much more jazz (bebop and free jazz) and opera than anything else. Right now I am listenting to Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac in concert in 1968. Incredible stuff. He really was the greatest (white) blues guitarist of his time.


20. Who do you think you'll vote for president in the next election?

Bush. This election is far too important to screw around with.

21. What website did you see this on first?

Says Uncle


Well, there you have it folks, straight from the horses mouth.
Now back to work. . . . .

Armed Students

The Wall Street Journal has a decent article on the fight in Utah to allow concealed carry on the campus of the state university. Clearly not everyone in Utah is especially bright.

That law went into effect this month. The university says it won't recognize it. So in a state where a kindergarten teacher can tote a weapon in class and lawmakers carry guns in the statehouse, a showdown is coming. Utahns "sometimes think gun possession is a God-given right, not a constitutional right," says Jake Garn, a university trustee and former U.S. senator, explaining the dispute. "I tell them I don't ever remember seeing Jesus packing heat."

Now, considering that the rights enumerated in the constitution - especially the bill of rights - are natural rights coming from God (if thats what you believe - or just arising from within at birth or something) I don't undertstand the distinction he is trying to make.

Anyway, its another fine article that I highly recommend you purchasing the paper (best $1.50 investment in your future you can make today) to read.

Blogging burnout?

Tyler Cohen, of the Mercatus Center and George Mason University is writing about blog burnout at the Marginal Revolution As I approach my six month blogging anniversary, Blog burnout is something I am beginign t think about. While it hasn't really interrupted my family life or work yet . . . in light of the whole Washingtonienne epsidoe (though in Wonkette's interview she seems remarkably level headed about the whole thing - the fall out I image though will be less glamorous than she is imaginine) I am less inclined than ever to blog from work (where I do my real thinking) and staying up late at night to work on the blog is getting, shall we say, tired.

What I really want to do, and have been hinting about here for a month or so, is to get web space (anyone know of cheap providers) and get a nice Moveable Type page up and running. Anyway, it shal continue because, as Tyler points out

The "Master Bloggers," whoever you think those may be, are strange in the first place. Viewed in that light, it is easier to see how they keep it up. They are always "talking out loud," if only to themselves. Hooking them up to a terminal involves mobility issues, but fewer lifestyle changes than a "normal person" might think.

Not that I am a master blogger - but I am rather opinionated and if I can speak out here, then I am not insulting someone and getting into a bar fight "there."

Carnival of Not Fonda Kerry

I used to keep a running tally of all my Anti John Kerry posts as part of my blog roll. As it turns out, there are just so many things wrong with John Kerry as a candidate that I couldn't possibly keep all my posts listed and still maintain a manageable blog roll.

Since I've gotten a couple of emails in the last week looking for the list, I've decided to come up with a new feature here at the Countertop Chronicles - the Carnival of Fonda Kerry. If you have a post you want me to list, send me a link before Thursday evening, and every Friday I will try to put it up for your perusal.

For the inaugural version, I am going to repost my blogroll of anti Kerry rants. Enjoy and feel free to peruse.

• Signs of a Fat Pig v. Fuckface Dispute


• Carnival of the Kerry Cannes


• Lieberman, Democrats and Cicada swarms 


• A Kerry Cabinet?


• A Smear Turned Around Upon Itself


• On The Iranians


• Vietnam Veterans Against John Fonda Kerry


• John "Waffler" Kerry


• I did before I didn't


• NY Times On The Kerry's


• Teresa Heinz Kerry


• Zell Miller For President


• The Degneration of the Democratic Party


• A Green Mountain John Kerry Joke


• Vietnam Veterans Against John Fonda Kerry


• Dodd, BTTT


• Kerry & Gun Control


• "Lawless" John Kerry


• John "Goon Squad" Kerry


• John "Fat Cat Friend" Kerry


• How much will John Kerry cost America?


• Nuclear Al Quada


• Kofi Annan - Genocidal Murderer?


• John Kerry, An Absurd Fool


• John "The Scab" Kerry?


• Sen. McCain Open to Being Kerry's VP


• John "The Man Who Would Lead Our Enemy" Kerry


• John "Potty Mouth" Kerry


• John "Ixnay Ationalnay Ecuritysay" Kerry


• John"57 Ways To Screw Your Country"Kerry


• Dick's Take, Bush v. Kerry


• John "America Hater" Kerry,
  The Choice of Oppressor's


• You've Got To be F'ing Kidding Me
  Kerry Warner ?!?!?!?!?!?!


• John Kerry and Gun Control


• Kerry Video


• Edwards and Kerry - Liberals All The Same


• Kerry's A Smelly Frog


• Treasonous Kerry, The Masshole


• Kerry, The Interventionist


• Shouldn't we call it the John Kerry Award


• That POS Worthless Liberal Kerry


• Kerry's War Medals


• Please Phone Home


• What's Wrong With John Edwards, Part II


• Want to know why Bush will win?


• What's Wrong With John Edwards?


• AFL-CIO Endorses Kerry,
  Almost Ruins My Lunch


• Bad News For The Dems


• Menopausal Ad Campaign


• Sportsman My Ass, Part II


• Do You Know Who I Am?


• John Edwards


• John Kerry, Asian Fetishist


• Florida, Redux


• The War On Terror Continues


• I'm Not Fonda John


• Sportsman My Ass


• Chris Lehane Strikes Back


• Kerry Slips it ... to an Intern?


• John Kerry For President?


• Take This And Shove It


• John Kerry, Special Interest


• Bush beats Kerry


• Did I Tell You I Didn't Like Kerry


• Kerry and the 2nd Amendment


• This Guy's Got The Morals of ....


• Kerry Disses Volunteers


• Will The Real John Kerry
  Please Stand Up!


• Thank You South Carolina


• Vote Tomorrow, Just Not For Kerry


• John Kerry's An Ignorant, Blind,
  Clueless Asshole


• Kerry, Frogs, and New Hampshire


• Presidential Guide


• 1984

Epic

Blogging is going to be light this weekend as I will be working on upgrading our bedroom bathroom and selling my car (if your interested in a 99 Saab 9-3 SE with under 70k miles, let me know). Blogging should be normal today, and I have a longer post I've been working on that I hope to post later this morning.

In the meantime, I am going to leave you with a great blast from the past, a special Friday edition of the Monday Song Lyric and the soundtrack to my office this evening. Faith No More toiled in relative obscurity (at least to me) for most of the 80s, forming in 1981 under the moniker Faith No Man. After a couple of not very well received albums the band fired a hard drinking singer and replaced him with Mike Patton of the legendary California speed/death metal band Mr. Bungle. Within two weeks he had written the bands next album, The Real Thing, and within six months had it recorded and released. The album was a huge success, and in part through Patton's impeccable metal credentials, the band found themselves touring in support of Metallica. The lead single from the album, Epic, became one of MTVs most heavily promoted videos (and Rolling Stones #60 video of all time) and the band exploded across America. From the thumping bass line, raping metal lyrics (over a decade before Korn, et al) and mesmerizing piano outro, it is a classic of modern day rock radio . . . an ode to desire, hard work and perseverance.

Following the release and multiplantinum success of The Real Thing and Epic, Faith No More went on to further commercial and artistic success throughout the 90s, releasing progressively more impressive recordings and consistently raising the bar for other rock/funk/rap bands coming out of California.

Sadly, The Real Thing is not available (yet!) on the iTunes music store, but Epic, as well as other hits from that stellar album such as From Out of Nowhere, Falling To Pieces (which may have been an even bigger radio hit than Epic), and their great cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs are all on the recently release greatest hits package - This Is It

Epic

Can you feel it, see it, hear it today?
If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway
You will never understand it cuz it happens too fast
And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass
It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference cuz it knocks you off your feet
You want it all but you can't have it
It's cryin', bleedin', lying on the floor
So you lay down on it and you do it some more
You've got to share it, so you dare it
Then you bare it and you tear it
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
It's alive, afraid, a lie, a sin
It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win
It's dark, it's moist, it's a bitter pain
It's sad it happened and it's a shame
You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?...

Interesting Discovery

A new volcano has been discovered 900 feet below the oceans surface, at the northernmost tip of Antarctica. Very interesting. Its located on the continental shelf, relatively close to the surface, and it has an impact on sea water temperature. Hmmm, I wonder if the climate change scaremongers have factored the presence of underwater volcanoes in their models of future doom and destruction. Its location, near the antartic ice sheet, would certainly seem to impact the long term viability of that ice sheet.

Vail

Someone from Vail has been visiting my humble little site. Glad to have you come by. If the resort is looking to hire semi well connected environmental attorneys from Washington, D.C. please drop me a line. I would love to leave D.C. behind and take care of ALL your air and water issues. For what its worth, I am a lifelong skier (eeer, telemarker most of the last decade) and know my way around the back bowls rather well - though these days I probably prefer to ski the 10th mountain trail system.

thanks . . . sorry for the groveling and now back to our regularly scheduled programing.

NEWS ALERT STOP THE PRESSES BUSH LOSES BLACK VOTE!!!

The headline lead in reads

President's handling of the war cools support among black voters

and Terry Neal writes that

with less than six months until Election Day, it appears that Bush's handling of the war in Iraq has reinforced among black voters some of the worst impressions of the Republican Party.

Uuuh, yeah . . . so what?

In fairness, Neal actually does a (for the Washington Post) decent job of countering liberal spin (especially debunking Charles Rangles claim that the war is disproportionalty killing off black men) but he still can't get beyond the fact that a breakdown of the electorate as white/non white is much, much, much different than a breakdown along the lines of white/black. That Liberal Media explores this interesting dynamic as the WashPo continues its mission for 100% diveristy nationwide.

Of course, by an overwhelming ratio Blacks as a whole don't vote for Republicans - preferring instead the party of segregated schools, slavery, lynchings, and the KKK - and as a percentage of the U.S. population have now fallen to number 3 and will likely be passed by both Asians and Arabs before all is said and done. Which makes this entire column, and my entire rant mostly irrelevant.

To give Neal even more credit though - he does a good job of pointing out that blacks ought to be voting for Bush in much greater numbers

Many black voters are culturally conservative, with strongly held Christian values that put them in line with the Republican Party, especially on issues such as same-sex marriage, school vouchers and partial privatization of Social Security.

He is also discussing this issue right now, in his weekly online chat


Yet on a host of other issues—from social justice to affirmative action to economic policy—black voters tend to go the other way.

Bush only got about 9 percent of the black vote in 2000. But various voter attitude polls suggest that many more blacks should be interested in the GOP, based on the strain of social conservatism that runs through their communities.
For instance, on the issue of gay marriage, there is a raging debate, as you may know, among blacks on this issue: Many feels strongly that gay marriage is a civil rights issues. Many others feel just as strongly that it is morally wrong and should not be legalized. Blacks, like whites, are not monolithic on this issue. But Republicans almost certainly will get few votes from these socially conservative blacks because of their positions on a host of other issues. These issues overshadow those areas of mutual interest.

Let America Be America Again

So, John Kerry has decided on a new campaign theme, "Let America Be America Again." What a great thought and one I wholly agree with. Lets return to the time of Truth, Justice and the American Way, when we were the Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free.

In America, there is a first amendment right to associate with whomever you want - and if you don't want gays to lead your boy scout troop or women to join your private country club or men to lead the brownie troop, or muslims to play with your children, you have that right. Unfortunately, you don't have that right in John Kerry's Amerika.

In America, there is a first amendment right to say what you want and criticize who you want whether its the New York Times, or a politican running for office. In John Kerry's Amerika, you can't.

In America, there is a second amendment right to keep and bear arms, to protect your home family and country from all threats by the use of force and to place food meat on the table. In John Kerry's Amerika you can't.

Yahoo! Buzz Index

Drudge is reporting that the racy photos of Alexandra Kerry were the top mover on Yahoos buzz index with her name garnering a staggering 8136.26 % one day increase. She she ends up in 10th place total as far as search terms go.

Of course, far more interesting to me is that Seychelles shows up in the number 8 spot for being a one day mover. The Seychelles Islands are fairly important since they are the location of the ongoing National Institutes of Health study that has wholly debunked the claims of Ds and the environmental movement about the risk of mercury exposure from fish consumption. The Seychelles study has showed zero risk.

This is interestin

Signs of a Fat Pig v. Fuckface Dispute

Richard Leiby is reporting that Miramax has hired a number of former Clinton spinmeisters to help promote the fat pigs latest bile.

Parachuting into France for the documentary's Cannes Film Festival launch, a Miramax rep told us, were Howard Wolfson, ex-campaign press secretary for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Michael Feldman, a top adviser on Al Gore's 2000 presidential race. (Feldman founded the Glover Park Group, a D.C. communications outfit, with ex-Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart.) Also providing PR expertise on the anti-Bush movie: former Clinton White House advisers Mark Fabiani and Chris Lehane.

Mr. Lehane of course, is infamous as the source of the John Fuckface Fonda Kerry slipping it to an intern rumour that surfaced after the Liberal Masshole Twit fired him from his campaign.

One would think, after a performance like that, if the Fat Pig really supported the Liberal Masshole Twit, he wouldn't hire his failed assassin. . . . Stay tuned . . . there is undoubtably more to this story than just meets the eye.

Wictory Wednsday - Defeat The Worthless POS

If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesday and help these deserving Vietnam Vets to defeat John Kerry simply by putting up a post like this every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the president's re-election campaign.

Abolish the UN

Abolishment of the UN should be a vital part of W.'s war on terrorism and re-election plans.

The institution, formed in the period after World War II to mediate the Cold War dispute between the U.S. and Russia has clearly out lived both its usefulness and its credibility.

First, we have the inability for the UN to stand up to Saddam Hussein. Of course, this was caused in no small part to the overwhelming levels of corruption that run rampant in the organization, from Kofi down.

Now, it appears the UN is going to turn its back on millions of additional African people who don't have the money to pay Kofi for his protection services.

As the rainy season starts again in that East African nation, the U.S. Agency for International Development -- the largest food donor to Sudan -- fears hundreds of thousands of people will die over the next nine months. This is no ordinary famine but part of the Sudanese regime's campaign against the African tribes in Darfur, a "strategy of systematic and deliberate starvation," according to a U.N. report that was initially suppressed so as not to offend Khartoum. Already some 30,000 people have been killed by Sudanese troops and Arab militias known as the Jingaweit.

The attacks often start with air bombardments, followed by ground troops and the Jingaweit. Women and even little girls are routinely raped. The attackers burn villages and destroy water supplies and food stocks. The result is the depopulation of wide swathes of land, which the Arab tribesmen then take over. Already one-fifth of the population in an area the size of France is on the run.

The problems the world faces these days is not the threat of M.A.D. that US/Soviet relations promised. Sure, both Russian and China remain potential long term threats but both have tasted the sweet smell of the free markets and are more concerned with expanding their economy than running off to start an un-winnable war with the U.S. Rather, the world faces two main problems in the coming years: First is the continuing threat of war between petty and insignificant third world nations and the resulting genocides that those wars always bring. As a result of the instability these altercations lead to, terrorist breeding grounds continue to thrive in lawless areas and ensure that the propagation of the second greatest problem, global terrorism, will continue.

As the Wall Street Journal (yes, I again urge you to spend the $1.50 on a copy or get a cheap online subscription) points out, the UN, with its bloated bureaucracy and corrupt diplomacy, has now proven itself incapable of responding to these clearly problematic conflicts.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has raised the alarm about Sudan, but once again the "international community" is proving to be feckless, and the Bush Administration has been isolated in its attempts to raise international pressure on Khartoum. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights has refused to condemn the Sudanese regime. But what can you expect from a body that includes Cuba, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and, yes, Sudan? When Sudan was re-elected to the Commission on May 4, the American envoy was alone in walking out on what he called this "absurdity."

Meanwhile, Sudan is protected at the morally alert Security Council by China, which supplies the regime with arms and has oil interests there. Fellow Muslim nations Pakistan and Algeria are also loudly silent. Even the Europeans display little interest, arguing that "politicizing" Darfur could threaten a peace deal to end a separate conflict between the regime and rebels in the south.

I say, do away with the UN and replace it with an organization that is more lithe and capable of responding to these situations.

I'll post more on the specifics structure tomorrow.

Tony Randall

The New York Times has a very good obituraryon Mr. Randall. Its frightening how fast they put these things out.

Randall died in his sleep Monday night at NYU Medical Center of complications from a long illness, according to his publicity firm, Springer Associates.

He is survived by his wife, Heather Harlan Randall, who made him a father for the first time at age 77, and their two children, 7-year-old Julia Laurette and 5-year-old Jefferson Salvini.

. . .

The actor became a fixture on David Letterman's late-night talk shows, appearing a record 70 times on the "Late Show" alone. He made fun of his own prim image by taking part in Letterman's wacky antics, including allowing himself to be covered in mud.

. . . .

After Army service during World War II from 1942-46, he returned to New York, where he appeared on radio and early television. He got his start in movies in 1957.

He was married to his college sweetheart, Florence Randall, for 54 years until she died of cancer in 1992.

"I saw her in a bank -- I never saw another girl in my life. She was gorgeous, the most beautiful girl I ever saw," Randall said in a TV interview in 1995.

Later that year, he married Harlan, who was 50 years his junior. Randall met her through his National Actors Theatre; former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani performed the ceremony.

Harlan gave birth to their first child, Julia Laurette Randall, in April 1997. Their second child, Jefferson Salvini Randall, was born in June 1998.

Michael Moore Targets

Say Uncle is celebrating Rachel Lucas's return to the blogsphere.

Of course, Ms. Lucas thinks someone should turn the photo of the pig extraordinaire into a lifesize target to sell at gun ranges across america. She especially wants to keep the photographers in the picture "for perpetuating the lardhole's fame and making him feel like a star."

Of course, the photohogs in the pictures aren't exactly shinning light on Mr. Moore's best feature, rather they are snapping away at his rather MAXIMUS gluteus maximus.


If someone is going to sell these targets I would suggest they only sell them by the gross. hehehe

Thanks to the Uncle for the link.

Tony Randall, RIP

Equally famous for his frequent appearances on late night television as for playing Felix Unger on TV's The Odd Couple, Tony Randall has passed away.

Not free anymore

Tim Sandefur has moved his great libertarian freespace blog from the free blogger service (which really sucks these days) to the pricier typepad service (though at 4.95 - 14.95 a month, its not THAT expensive).

I'm a big fan of the moveable type format, just need to get off my lazy ass and do it.

Dumbest Idea Ever

Allowing non citizens to vote in our elections.

Geesh. . . thats what we really need, Osama Bin Laden able to vote too.

Pigs Get Slaughtered

Some time ago, in the early days of this blog, I garnered a bit of attention around the blogsphere for my post on the gay marriage thing. I had said that pigs get slaughtered and that the advocates of gay marriage ought to be careful in how they advocated for marriage. Since the vast majority of the nation is against gay marriage, I thought then (and still think today) that forcing gay marriage through judicial fiat based upon the faulty Roe v. Wade type reasoning employed by the Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas is both troubling and dangerous for liberal advocates.

The shenanigans and hijinks of a greedy and impatient gay community, not content with the tremendous gains of the last few years, have grown more and more vocal and are now demanding full marital rights. In the face of opposition to this idea, they have resorted to sneaky judicial activism and outright contempt for the law in the loony kooky kook lands of Massachusetts and San Francisco. As a result of these foolish, impatient, and petty actions, they are going to force a massive national debate on the subject and a concerted effort to change the constitution, with President Bush’s endorsement. Not only does the amendment stand a good chance of passing but the ensuing fight stands to roll back many (if not all) of the gains they have made as a community over the last two decades.

First, it will engender a massive backlash that is likely to erase the strides gays have made in leaving the closet and becoming members of mainstream society. A second reason is because that in the anger the gay marriage issue generates, liberals also risked a major roll back of abortion rights, Roe v. Wade, and its ilk (not necessarily a bad thing - but I find the idea infanticide so upsetting that I try to refrain discussing it here).

What I really thought should have happened was a strategy based upon the 1st Amendment right of Freedom of Religion - whereby a church performs a wedding and then a lawsuit is filed (using Roe v. Wade and Lawrence reasoning if need be) that ultimately allows for gay marriage. Most people would be reluctant to challenge the freedom of religion, and it has always seemed to me the best strategy. Unfortunately, I opined then and still believe now, the gay movement was run by a bunch of short sighted moonbats who do not care about society, their gay constituents, or even the rule of law. Rather they only care about radical political agendas and a celebration of hedonism.

In the months since I made my post, gay opinion leaders like Andrew Sullivan and Jonathan Rauch have tried rather professionally and eloquently (if not a bit obsessively) to successfully convince average American's of the desire for gays to be just like everyone else. They and others have gone to great lengths to show how gays really aren't as promiscuous as stereotypes would suggest and are fully deserving of the rights of marriage.

Well, with the latest news out of Boston, it appears the leaders of the gay marriage movement just don't agree.

Jonathan Yardbrough and Cody Rogahn may arguably be the first gay couple in America to be legally married. Their wedding, which was the first to take place in the Gay Mecca of Provincetown, MA and their subsequent media statements are clearly designed to shock mainstream America and will undoubtedly drive many more people to oppose this movement. Both gentlemen have a clearly different outlook on life, love, and marriage than the one Mr. Sullivan is working so hard to project to America.

Yarbrough, a part-time bartender who plans to wear leather pants, tuxedo shirt, and leather vest during the half-hour ceremony, has gotten hitched to Rogahn, a retired school superintendent, first in a civil commitment in Minnesota, then in Canada, and now in Massachusetts, the first U.S. state to recognize gay marriage.

But he says the concept of forever is "overrated'' and that he, as a bisexual, and Rogahn, who is gay, have chosen to enjoy an open marriage. ``I think it's possible to love more than one person and have more than one partner, not in the polygamist sense,'' he said. ``In our case, it is, we have, an open marriage.''

As I said in that first post, be careful what you wish for . . . Pigs Get Slaughtered and unless the gay movement does a real quick job of reeling in the whackos, this little experiment in social re-engineering is going to backfire big time.

Da Skins

While not quite Chicago, Washington football fans do go pretty crazy over the Redskins. I'm a life long Giant fan (of the Yankees, Giants, Rangers ilk . . . . I despise the Mets, Jets, Devils/Islanders contingent) but in recent years have begun to get swept up in the Redskins hoopla. Its sort of exciting the lengths to which this town loves its team, hates its owner, and shines a constant spotlight on their activity. Even right now, in Mid May, a long long hot summer away from the begining of the football season, Washingtonians are still talking football.

Well, the one thing I do like a lot about the Skins is the Cheerleaders. They are fun, entertaining, and without a doubt, very attractive, times as Courtney clearly is.

Her profile says she is a legal assistant - what I want to know is How come my legal assistant doesn't look this good?

Carnival of the Kerry Cannes

Outside The Beltway is having a veritable Carnival of the Kerry Cannes.
Check it them out.

Anyone need a Powerbook

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant powerbook scam buster over at The Crease.

Monday Song Lyric

I'm having a pretty tough time writting today's song lyric. The reason? I am preparing lots of musical care packages to ship out to the troops protecting our freedom in Iraq and Afghanastahn and one in particular has me up and dancing around. I am sending seven copies of each of these albums

Eric Clapton - Me & Mr. Johnson
Guns 'n Roses - Greatest Hits
Elvis - 30 #1 Hits
Foo Fighters - The Color and the Shape
Outkast - Speakerbox/The Love Below

I'm very familiar and a big fan of all this music, but before today had not really listened to Outkast. I had asked a black friend of mine what cd he would recommend I send over to the troops and this is the one he recommened. I have to say - its incredible.

I had heard good things about it before, and knew it was on almost everyones Top 20 CDs of 2003 lists, but until tonite, was clueless. No more. This is simply the most original, humourous, musically diverse, HAPPY, and flat fun album I have heard in a long time. Actually, the only complaint I might have with it (and I usually don't like hip hop or rap) is the language (lots of sex talk), however somehow it seems less offensive on this disc and more in good humour. Don't know how you feel, but you are warned, the disc is probably not appropriate for your 10 year old . . . but for the boys fighting in Iraq - I hope its just what they need.

Since its actually two discs, with each member of the band running things on 1 CD each - I am going to post two songs, one from each disc. This also makes up for my missing the lyric last week.

The first, Hey Ya, actually comes from the second disc. As soon as I heard this song, I recognized it, but had never "listened" to it or heard the whole song. It truly is deserving of all it has recieved. Get the disc. Its available at iTunes and your local cd seller.

Hey Ya
André Benjamin aka Andre 3000

[Intro]
One two three go!

[Verse One - Andre 3000]
My baby don't mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know fo shooo..
Uh, But does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me
Walk ou the dooo..
Don't try to fight the feelin'
Because the thought alone is killing me right nooww..
Uh, thank god for mom and dad
For sticking through together
'Cause we don't know hooowww...
UH!

[Chorus]
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa..
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa..
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa..
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa..
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa..
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa..
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa..
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa..

[Verse Two - Andre 3000]
You think you've got it
Ohh, you think you've go it
But got it just don't get it
Till' there's nothing at
AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaallllll..
We've been together
Ohh, we've been together
But seperate's always better when there's feelings
InvooooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOlved
If what they say is ("Nothing is forever")
Then what makes, Then what makes, Then what makes
Then what makes, Then what makes LOOVVEEE?
(Love exception) So why you, why you
Why you, why you, why you are we so in denial
When we are not happy heeeerrreeee...
Y'all don't want me here you just wanna dance

[Chorus]
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (Don't want to meet your daddy, OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (Just want you in my Caddy OHH OH)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH, don't want to meet yo' mama OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (Just wan't to make you cumma OHH OH)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (I'm, OHH OH I'm, OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (I'm just being honest OHH OH, I'm just being honest)

[Bridge - Andre 3000]
Hey, alright now
Alright now fealous, (YEAH!)
Now what's cooler than bein' cool?
(ICE COLD!) I can't hear ya'
I say what's cooler than bein' cool?
(ICE COLD!) whooo...
Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright, alright
Alright, alright, alright, Ok now ladies, (YEAH!)
And we gon' break this back down in just a few seconds
Now don't have me break this thang down for nothin'
Now I wanna see y'all on y'all baddest behavior
Gimme some suga', I am your neighbor ahh here we go!
Shake it, shake, shake it, shake it (OHH OH)
Shake it, shake it, shake, shake it, shake it, shake it (OHH OH)
Shke it, shake it like a Poloroid Picture, shake it, shake it
Shh you got to, shake it, shh shake it, shake it, got to shake it
(Shake it Suga') shake it like a Poloroid Picture

[Verse Three - Andre 3000 (Repeating "Shake it" in background)]
Now while Beyoncé and Lucy Lui
And baby dogs, get on the floor
(Get on the floor)
You know what to dooo..
Yooooouuu.. know I do

[Chorus]
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (Uh oh, Hey Ya)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (Uh, uh, OHH OH)
Heeeyyy... Yaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)
Heeyy Yaaaaaaaa.. (OHH OH)

[Chorus continues until fade]

The second song today comes from the first disc - Speakerboxxx.

The Rooster

Antwan Patton aka Big Boi, Carlton Mahone & Donny Mathis

Hold up!
Oooh, oooh! Somebody done told you you wrong!

[Verse 1:] Ok, I start out all alone
`Cause my baby mama left me
Now there's nobody at home
Beginning to feel like Ms. Jackson done got cloned!
Well it's some real shit and I'm lving it through this song!
A moving vehicle took my family
As I slept out on the sofa in the Boom Boom Room
I woke up very upset!
I throw the covers back and peek out of the draperies
My daughter, my baby, my baby mama all escaping me!
In the wind, she was my friend
Like Princess Di before she died
Therefore we tried and tried again
But in the end you pay attention to the pluses
But the minuses behind make it seem like you can't win!

[Hook:] Throw your neck out! Throw your back out! [4x]

[Verse 2:] Round two, a single parent, what is Big to do?
Throw a parrty? Not hardly!! i'm trying to stay up outta that womb!!
Or that p-u-s-s uss! I said uss!
Luther Vandross couldn't make a home out of this house that we smooshed
Smashed, pushed to the limit! Smash and turned it timid!
Hell everyone was suffering, the house was feeling wicked hell
The cat got sold, the dog got old, the food got cold!
Both of our tempers were on swolle
For the most part you fuss, fight, fart!
You build it up to break it down and now take it from the start
Repeatedly leading a path that only ends in a clash
Of two stubborn minds, grown folks blind to the sign!

[Hook]

[Verse 3:] K-O, knocked out by technicality
The love has kissed the canvas
Now the whole family is mad at me
My daughter don't want me at her PTA meetings
And then my son he can't talk, when I change him he's peeing
I think he's pissed!
I can't dismiss the matter of the fact because he saw you and me argue
Now the energy is coming back
Set an example, a positive pattern, keep life on track
But I'm married to the music and committed to the wax, tapes and CDs
Baby please, you make me want to scream!
You're on my team starting first string so why are we arguing?
[Repeat]

[Hook]

Roger Clemens

The New York Times is profiling Roger Clemens startaling season.

I've always admired him, even when I hated him as a Red Sox. He is a great competitor and a shrewed negotiator, but what's up with his children?

His family's home is about 20 minutes from the Astros' ballpark. As part of Clemens's one-year contract, the Astros granted him unusual autonomy on days he is not scheduled to pitch. He can travel separately from the team when he wants to spend more time with his wife, Debbie, and their four sons - Koby, 17; Kory, 15; Kacy, 9; and Kody, who turns 8 on Saturday.

Is he trying to be George Foreman?

Lieberman, Democrats and Cicada swarms

Read Joe Lieberman's editorial in the Wall Street Journal today about Abu Ghraib. If your too cheap to spend the $1.50 on a copy of the paper (the wisest investment you can make today) then go to opinionjournal.com and read it for free.

Most Democrats and Republicans, including President Bush and Sen. Kerry, agree that we must successfully finish what we have started in Iraq. Now is the time for all who share that goal to make our agreement publicly clear, to stress what unites us. Many argue that we can only rectify the wrongs done in the Iraqi prisons if Donald Rumsfeld resigns. I disagree. Unless there is clear evidence connecting him to the wrongdoing, it is neither sensible nor fair to force the resignation of the secretary of defense, who clearly retains the confidence of the commander in chief, in the midst of a war. I have yet to see such evidence. Secretary Rumsfeld's removal would delight foreign and domestic opponents of America's presence in Iraq.

The Democrats, in their giddy delight and blind embrace of the communist and anti-American ideology of the looney left have made two major strategic blunders in the last 5 years. The first was nominating Al Gore as their nominee in 2000. The second is the Democratic establishment’s wholesale rejection of Sen. Lieberman in this year’s nomination run. He would have defeated W. in 2000 and would stand a very good chance of beating him now, in 2004.

My prediction - regardless of how close the country is split D vs. R, John Kerry is going to lose this election in a more phenomenal fashion than even Walter Mondale or Michael Dukakis did. I think we are going to see Bush getting over 10% more of the popular vote and likely coming awfully close to a clean sweep of the electoral vote. Kerry will win D.C. Will he get much else outside of Vermont??? I don't think so, not at this point. It might actually be so bad, because the base of the Ds has transformed into as virulently an anti American institution as any of our nation’s enemies that in order for any mainstream D to have a chance at future national success an entirely new party will need to emerge.

Of course, this can all change, as Kerry seems to be struggling back to the middle. The problem is he and his Democratic cohorts let the communists and their ANSWER loving comrades out of the box and now, like the cicadas that are soon to be overtaking D.C., there are so many of them out and about that they will never be able to contain them.

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