Dr. Melissa Clouthier

New Blog

2008-07-08T07:41:00.002-06:00

Ok, people. Today, I'm forcing you to go over to the new blog if you want to read what I'm writing.

MelissaClouthier.com will get you there.

Nancy Pelosi Works With Terrorist Organization

2008-07-07T13:25:00.003-06:00

Being terrorist's metaphorical friends is not the same thing as actively working against one's own government, but that's exactly what Nancy Pelosi has done. No doubt, being in bed with terrorist scum will endear her to her constituents, but will average voters like it?

And there's this: How will Barack Obama respond to the House Leader's actions? No doubt, he'd be thrilled to have a member of Congress actively undermining the United State's interests were he to be President. Of course, he'll probably be working to undermine America's interests, so they'd be working together.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News and Melissa Clouthier.com

Eternal Life Sentence for Sex Offender

2008-07-07T13:14:00.001-06:00

You know you've been bad when your next 40 lives will be spent in prison.

Abortion As Social Injustice

2008-07-07T12:08:00.003-06:00

Conservative groups begin highlighting one of Barack Obama's more extreme positions: his views on abortion. CBN reports this from the Christian Defense Coalition:

"Senator Obama talks about bringing hope, faith and change to American politics. We now see this is all just political 'doublespeak.' One of his top priorities as President would be protecting abortion rights and even expanding them. If elected, Senator Obama would become 'The Abortion President,' with the most extremist policies on abortion of any President in history.

"Senator Obama's views on abortion are so radical that he even wants American citizens to pay for them. This would include Catholics, Evangelicals and all people of faith. He would also expand abortion rights through his passionate support of The Freedom of Choice Act.

David Brody says:

This is Obama’s challenge with Evangelicals. He can talk about the social justice issues all he wants and yes, it resonates to a certain extent but unless he moves on abortion (not likely) he’ll have a problem. If he shows some support for parental notification laws or the annual fetal pain bill that moves through Congress then that will help insulate him to a degree on the extremist abortion tag.

Abortion as social injustice undermines a key Democratic tenet that matter to conservative Christians: taking care of the poor and neediest and being a voice for those who don't have one. All sorts of individuals find a home in the Democrat party because together, they have more power. But still, these people have voices and often loud mouths--which, in itself, calls into question how oppressed they truly are when everyone knows exactly what they ~~think~~ feel.

Still, Christians believe their mission includes clothing the poor, feeding the needy, tending the sick, visiting the imprisoned, caring for the widows and orphans, and on it goes. Jesus told his followers that "whatever you do to serve the least of these, you've done for me." To a conservative Christian, it doesn't get more "least" than a helpless unborn child.

Hope and changeyness sounds wonderful--even to evangelical ears, but upon closer inspection, it rings hollow. Democrats will find their social justice messages a tough sell when the greatest social injustice, abortion, is a central plank of their social platform. Their only hope is to try to deceive conservatives into believing that Obama really is against abortion. Which, of course, he isn't.

Cross posted at Right Wing News and Melissa Clouthier.com

An Honest Thief Thwarts Terrorist Attack?

2008-07-07T10:52:00.001-06:00

Terrorism in New York? Well, who knows what this was intended to do, but a thief stopped the maddness.

Newness

2008-07-07T09:55:00.002-06:00

Hey patriotic peeps, welcome back to work. Over the past month or more, I've been working with Daniel Summers putting together a new blog. Why has it taken so long? Because I have big ideas and he has a full-time job and that job doesn't happen to be technical director for Melissa Clouthier. Blogging doesn't pay that well.

Anyway, today is going to be my first day over at the new blog MelissaClouthier.com. I will be experimenting around with it during this very busy week, so things might be weird here and there. You can always check back here. And, of course, I'll be putting up two blog entries over at Right Wing News daily, too.

For those who couldn't navigate back to the front page of the new blog, just click anywhere in the header on my name, Voila! You'll be back. You're welcome to give me feedback and ideas. I appreciate your patience while things are being put back together.

Yellow Cake...Was, Like, Totally, Not a Lie, Ya'll

2008-07-06T10:21:00.003-06:00

Now the nasty (pretend) stuff isn't in Iraq anymore. Canada bought it. Specifically, it's in Ontario. Hey, I lived in them thar parts. I don't trust those people and I'm not alone. Via Ace:

Wait a second…now Canuckistan has yellow-cake? This can’t be good news, what with them a mere 0 miles from our borders. The barbarian hordes from the frozen North “say” they’re going to use the uranium for peaceful “electrical” purposes, but ever since they began their massive naval build-up a few years back, I think we need to keep a sharp eye on these Neo-Scandis.

It was so much better when the pretend, non-existent yellow cake wasn't in Iraq because it was far, far away. Now it's supposedly real and exists close to American borders. This war on terror bullshit just gets worse and worse.

FARC Defeated In Colombia

2008-07-05T15:21:00.003-06:00

Fausta Wertz analyzes the implications of the daring hostage rescue (if you don't know, Americans were rescued). I'm still snickering that these dumb-butts bought the Ché shirts worn by the Columbian military guys. You need to read her whole post. The thumbnail: Communism has been dealt a serious blow in South America. Obviously, this is good news for America and for anyone who values freedom.

It's worth noting that freedom is coming at the point of a gun with someone willing to die for it. That's usually how it works.

Around The Web

2008-07-05T09:17:00.003-06:00

British children are forced to bow to Allah. The two who didn't get detention.

And you thought Republicans were dumb. They have some wimpy competition.

Intelligent design stuff.

Greta Van Susteren smacks down Anderson Cooper. Anderson has a staff of 60. A couple are dedicated to peeling his grapes and fanning him no doubt.

James Lileks smacks down M. Night Shamalayan:

The trailer doesn’t spell out the message, but Gort – played by Keanu Reeves – says “if the earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth lives.” Well, there’s a message we can all get behind. And if the film flops, you get the Malibu beach house. Seems win-win for everyone except, well, the poison-belching peons who will queue up for another sermon. Gentle cautionary tales are one thing; this groveling self-hatred is another. Same with the M. Night film that has the trees emitting pollen that makes us all kill ourselves – apparently the trees took a big wait-and-see attitude towards deforestation in the late 19th century, and finally decided to kill people when we were just starting to get the point.

The taxing work of being rich and finding enlightenment. Sigh. Aimless and dough-filled make for such trying times. Via Alarming News

Barack Obama's pedigree includes forged papers? Is it possible he doesn't really exist?

Speaking of Obama, if he really is an American citizen, which is in question (see above), he's not patriotic. I question, very openly, his patriotism as does Jonah Goldberg. But the true believers question the questioners. It's amusing.

Tigerhawk on loving America....and those who hate it.

Patterico honors Jesse Helms and thanks the Left for their sympathy.

This is what the world is coming to and Rachel Lukas has a solution. She's going soft.

And on that outrageous note, I'm going for a walk, because my blood pressure is up again from watching the video at Rachel's link.

Man Woman Gives Birth, America Is Definitely Home of the Free

2008-07-04T14:14:00.007-06:00

He is not a he, he is a she with boobs lopped off and testosterone that would increase the size of the clitoris and make it look more penis-like. Let's be real here. A man cannot carry a baby. She was not born with ambiguous genitalia. This "dude" is not a dude. She is a dudette. She is a mother. She gave birth through her vagina. That's right "he" gave birth naturally.

He is a she. I am sick of the politically correct nonsense around this woman. Just because someone has surgery and names herself a man, doesn't make it so. Might make her delusional. And it makes the news media look more insane than average, too,"The new dad walked easily, although he appeared tired, .... Someone opened the door for him." Oh, and can you imagine how this kid is going to feel about "dad". This is just nuts. (Couldn't resist.)

She is free to call herself whatever she wants. This is America. And so I am free to call her a she and so I will.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Parade Pictures & Other Bits of Americana

2008-07-04T10:57:00.019-06:00

While I'm watching the Hot Dog Eating Contest, I thought I'd put up the parade pictures. Good grief! Can you imagine shoving 66 hotdogs down your gullet at one time? Go, Joey Chestnut! Just the thought or the man's distended abdomen....

Dash was one of the first heroes to show up at the parade. He's high-fiving my son.

Well, a couple years ago, the "parade" was more like a group of people who glommed together to go for a walk baking in the sun--kinda like golf without grass, golf balls and clubs.

The Marines received wild applause.

Herbie showed up and was disappointingly unpatriotic. Perhaps it's his German heritage. Still sore about losing and whatnot.

The West Side story got sung. The kids didn't mind the heat. The show must go on....and they have a stage.

A masked McCain and Obama worked the crowd. Horrifying! I see the future movies now. McCain with a chainsaw. Obama and his ears running for his dear life as his co-conspirator turns on him in bloody rage. Hold on...I was talking about the parade.

Some poor person got life-flighted out. Probably a heart attack secondary to dehydration. It was freaking hot!

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!
Unlike Zombietime's delightful picture parades, in my neck of the nape, people are more.....um, normal. Well, normal is a continuum. Parades tend to draw those who are comfortable with their individuality, no matter where you are in America.

It's Good To Be Free of Tyranny

2008-07-04T10:38:00.004-06:00

My brother sent me the Declaration of Independence, just for the reminder, I guess. Here's the beginning:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

I explained to my kids that at the Olympics, no American will bow to a foreign dignitary. Why? Because Americans bow to no man. We answer to One Authority.

And for the sad little Democratic Club of Southern Montgomery County, the One Authority wouldn't be Barack Obama. His devotees were enthusiastic, I'll give them that. Around here, though, they were observed with wry interest. More on the parade in the next post.

It's good to be free. Refreshing our memory of the Declaration every year would be a nice exercise.

How To Feel American: Take Me Out To The Ballpark

2008-07-03T20:11:00.006-06:00

So today, I had the pleasure of seeing the Astros lose at the gorgeous Minutemaid Park. It was a pleasure, too. The company, two of my sweet cherubs (have I mentioned that I'm a breeder?) and the mad blogging Floridian Cassy Fiano escorted by her conservative, buff, national guardsman and even better, Texan boyfriend, made the day. The game, meh.

The best part? Hearing the packed stadium sing America the Beautiful during the Seventh Inning stretch. Wait, the other best part? Seeing a marine throw out the first pitch and receive a standing ovation. This man, this patriot, who had sacrificed so much--he lost his legs from the knees down--displayed child-like joy and sincere delight at receiving the signed ball, and the adoration of the crowd. Oh man, there was another best part! A commander in Iraq gave a speech relaying the successes and ended with an enthusiastic, "Go Astros!" The crowd ate up his words. And then there was the soldier who sang the National Anthem with a flag the size of a basketball court in the middle of the field. Beautiful! And get this: hot dogs were $1 today.

I love America.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Violent Rapist? Get Rehabilitated In Vermont

2008-07-03T08:28:00.004-06:00

If you've watched the news, you know about the little "missing" girl from Vermont. Well, her remains were found yesterday on her uncle's property. Vermont, it turns out, has a wonderful sex offenders rehabilitation program. Daniel Goleman (of Primal Leadership fame) enthuses in the New York Times fifteen years ago:

The sex offender treatment program in Vermont, among the most sophisticated in the country, showed similar successes, according to a report at the Kent State meeting. In an evaluation of 473 sex offenders who have been released from prison for up to eight years, the average rate of sex crimes in the same period for a comparison group who received no treatment was 38 percent, at least double the rate of those treated for various sex crimes.

For child molesters in the treated group, the rate of sex crimes after release from prison was just 7 percent; for exhibitionists or voyeurs, 3 percent; for rapists, 19 percent. While the figure for rapists is highest, it is still just half that of those who did not receive any treatment.

To be sure, not all sex offenders respond to treatment. Among rapists, for instance, rape is often more an act of violence than of sex. This kind of rapist is less likely to benefit than are those for whom fantasies are more important than violence.

So my take away is that treatment may or may not work and we have no way of telling who it will work on, but we should be thrilled because maybe it will work on someone. And of those treated, one out of five will offend again. That means that one out of five will commit a violent rape again.

Let's just look at Brooke Bennett's case. Her uncle Michael Jacques has done this before:

In 1993, he was convicted of kidnapping and rape committed in June 1992. Court records show that the victim was an 18-year-old young woman he supervised at a fast-food business in Rutland. The records show he and a friend got her drunk and then Jacques alone forced her into his car and over the next four hours raped her several times. The police affidavit says she was choked with a rope around her neck, gagged with a cloth in her mouth, and handcuffed with police-style cuffs. Police say Jacques eventually let her go after he told her he needed help and was going to seek psychiatric counseling.

The victim told police that Jacques said he had killed a 12-year-old girl he raped in Arizona in 1985 because she threatened to go to the police, "so he had to kill her."

And he has been treated in Vermont's stellar program:

The police were unable to confirm his claimed killing of the 12-year-old in Arizona, but Jacques did plead no contest to the charges of kidnap and rape in Vermont. In return, under a plea agreement, he got six years in prison, but was released after serving only four and half with credit for good time.

That 1992 plea deal also required Jacques to complete the sex offender treatment program before he could be released from probation. According to the records, he did complete the therapy program, and was released from state supervision in December 2006. Corrections officials say Jacques completed his sex offender treatment program in 2000.

Do you see how insane it is to release these criminals from prison with or without treatment? If they don't get treatment, nearly half repeat offend. If they do get treatment, only one out of five re-offend--that get caught, anyway.

Since no one knows who will or who won't re-offend, why are any of these people released back into the community? And I don't put the flashers or oglers in the same category as a violent rapist. A violent rapist should know that if he gets convicted, he's in prison for life, period. Sure, some of these guys might reform or go impotent or get too old to have the energy to commit their dastardly deeds. The problem is, since no on knows who will and who won't offend, the risk is too great.

Let them rot in prison. Keep society safe from these freaks. Prison does not reform these jerks. At best, some inhibit their impulses. Let them be free of temptation. Keep them in prison.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Make It An Explosive 4th of July

2008-07-03T08:12:00.003-06:00

I'm here to help you, and naturally, if possible. Trouble with erectile dysfunction? Want to be a machine between the sheets? Well, eat yer watermelon menfolk, the effects are similar, if more general than Viagra-type drugs:

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.

Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body's enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.

"Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it," said Bhimu Patil, a researcher and director of Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center. "Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it's a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects."

On the downside, watermelon has one of the highest glycemic indices of any fruit. It's right up there with a can of Coke or a bagel, for that matter. That is, eating a ton of it rockets your blood sugar up quickly. But then, that could be a good thing, too. You'll get a sugar rush which translates into easy energy for that exercise you'll be getting.

Dukes Of Hazzard Rocks

2008-07-03T08:06:00.004-06:00

Well, kinda. But I have a reader, she knows who she is, who has loved Dukes of Hazzard since the beginning and has the car horn to prove it. The horn is on the Suburban she uses to cart her brood. Hey, even mothers of five children can have flair, ya'll.

Help Me

2008-07-02T13:34:00.002-06:00

Okay guys.... I need your help. The new blog is almost ready, but still needs a little work. I'm going to have a featured article. The blog, where you can click on a post and then related posts will pop up. And then, in the right-hand column, I'll have links to posts that are good, but I don't have the time or inclination to blog about.

So, go check it out. Do you like it? What would make it better? Mind you, it's my blog and if it sucks, but I like it, oh well. But your feedback would be appreciated.

It is: MelissaClouthier.com

You Have To See This

2008-07-02T13:23:00.001-06:00

This picture brought tears to my eyes. It's not just our freedom that matters. Everyone deserves to be free.

H/T Tigerhawk

Texas is Great! Give Me Chocolate Cake!

2008-07-02T12:30:00.002-06:00

That was an inane Bill Cosby comedy reference. But check this out via Don Surber:

Brian Stevens told News 4 his wife, whose six months pregnant, had just called him after she noticed someone lurking around the house. When Stevens got home, he saw the suspect going house to house. He went inside his home and then heard some rattling coming from his own back fence. Stevens then ran upstairs and grabbed his gun.

"I was waiting for the police, and he just walked in the door. He just walked in," explained Stevens.

Stevens said a man later identified as Stephen Garcia made his way inside the home and started walking towards him.

"I gave him plenty of times. I mean, I was screaming at him, telling him 'Get out of my house. Who do you think you are? Just get out. Get out!'," Stevens told News 4.

But Stevens said the 21-year-old intruder kept coming.

Castle doctrine. Smart wife. Armed husband. Almost dead dumbbell burglar. All in all, a good day for crime abatement in Texas.

Where The Children Are

2008-07-02T09:08:00.000-06:00

Ann Althouse wonders where the kids are. Makes me think about the book Where The Wild Things Are. Our neighborhood is full of kids, yet good luck finding evidence of them. Where are they?

Swimming--in public pools or in pools in the back yard. Summer camp. There are camps for everything and since playing stick ball with make-shift bases isn't part of the modern world, a child goes to a camp organized by adults, supervised by teenagers and it kills a couple birds with one stone. Children and teenagers, occupied! Wii--We bought one two weeks ago and I've been beaten in baseball, bowling, boxing, and my Mii has been beaten severely in tennis, though I have yet to play. My children have created a Wii community filled with mutant beings. It's great fun to make your dad bald, short, fat, with strange facial hair, a unibrow, pink cheeks, disco shades and eye shadow. Don't forget the moles. Cartoons. Come on! They are a summer staple. Yes, your children sit like mindless blobs of protoplasm absorbing what little mental nutrition can be extracted from these worthless shows. On the plus side, mom blogs in peace! Trampolines--Nothing says summer like working up a sweat engaging in repetititve bouncing activities. It's therapeutic. Down side--intracranial injuries. Eh, our generation rode bikes without helmets and skateboards without elbow pads, they'll be fine.

Kids are doing lots of stuff, just not the stuff that puts them in the public square or their own backyards much. Have you watched the news? No, most bloggers don't watch the news. Do blog readers watch the news? Well, if you watched Greta VanSusteren, last night, you saw children, young women, young men and families who were bludgeoned to death by a rampaging psycho. Oh, and then there were the three or four young women who were raped and killed 1) by relatives 2) while jogging 3) while taking a bath. My husband and I were talking about implanting a GPS device in my daughter. I kid you not. Evidently, we're not the only ones with this train of thought. For now, it looks we'd have to settle for cell phones.

The point is that parents don't feel free to let their kids roam like we did when we were kids. At five or six, we'd walk a couple streets over to play (walking through yards). At eight or nine, we'd be outside for hours until dinner time. I think my mom locked us out. Not now. Parents must observe children non-stop. What if something happened?

It might not be rational. In fact, upon researching it, it looks like it's not rational:

Research has shown that between 40 and 150 incidents of child abduction murder occur each year, which is less than one half of one percent of the murders committed nationally.

[Katherine M. Brown, Robert D. Keppel, Joseph G. Weis, and Marvin E. Skeen. CASE MANAGEMENT for Missing Children Homicide Investigation. Olympia, Washington: Office of the Attorney General, State of Washington, and U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, May 2006, page 1.]

This is small comfort for the parents of those children, but the threat is not as great as the amplified news makes it seem. Yet, it happens. And parents think, how could I live with myself if something happened? Here's more:
The U.S. Department of Justice reports:

797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.
203,900 children were the victims of family abductions.
58,200 children were the victims of non-family abductions.
115 children were the victims of “stereotypical” kidnapping. (These crimes involve someone the child does not know or someone of slight acquaintance, who holds the child overnight, transports the child 50 miles or more, kills the child, demands ransom, or intends to keep the child permanently.
[Andrea J. Sedlak, David Finkelhor, Heather Hammer, and Dana J. Schultz. U.S. Department of Justice. "National Estimates of Missing Children: An Overview" in National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, October 2002, page 5.]

Still, most people don't read statistics. They watch the news. And the news freaks parents out. Yes, I think we're in that Twilight Zone episode. A nuclear blast didn't decimate the world. A news blast did.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Waterboarding Is Torture....

2008-07-02T08:25:00.004-06:00

Read Christopher Hitchen's article and then come back and vote. His conclusion:

I apply the Abraham Lincoln test for moral casuistry: “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” Well, then, if waterboarding does not constitute torture, then there is no such thing as torture.

That being said, that's not the real question, is it? Let's just assume for the sake of argument that waterboarding is torture. Is it justifiable?

H/T Instapundit

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Zero Happening At Ground Zero--UPDATED

2008-07-01T15:47:00.005-06:00

What's happening in New York City this balmy summer day? The city bustles but there is little building going on ground zero. Prices are sky-rocketing. Government officials are wrangling (imagine that):

In a report to New York governor David Paterson, Mr Ward said: "The schedule and cost estimates of the rebuilding effort that have been communicated to the public are not realistic."

He said developers and government agencies would set new "clear and achievable timelines" by the end of September.

Mr Ward said the earliest rebuilding estimates in the wake of the 9/11 attacks were not truthful, referring to them as "emotional dates".

My initial response to the Twin Towers going down was that we should rebuild as quickly as possible. Get it done and show the world what America is made of tough stuff. Nothing keeps us down and all that.

Given that the Left operates like 9/11 didn't happen and ignores the consequences of unchecked Islamofascism and feels the threat is exaggerated (see here, here, or just watch CNN) a huge dirt hole seems to be an appropriate reminder. Put up 2,000+ markers where the people died and be done with it. Let every person look and ponder what happens when bad ideologies triumph (at least temporarily).

As an added bonus, there should be flat screens replaying the Towers going down with video of our soldiers hunting and killing terrorist scum. It's "raw", I know, but there's a simple elegance to my plan don't you think? As an added bonus: It's cost effective.

UPDATED:

Rachel Lucas reminds us why we need constant reminders of the consequences of Islamofascism:

Dear Britain: the more you apologize for stupid shit like this, the more you will be apologizing in the future for ever more innocuous “offenses.” You will never be done with it, you will never be able to satisfy these people until you utterly BEND TO THEIR WILL, and you will apologize yourselves right into cultural oblivion as Islam slowly but very, very surely mows you down with its “outrage” and your proclivity to be doormats. Very impressive. Your dead and dying grandfathers and grandmothers, who stood up to the last set of fascist assholes when most of your neighbors didn’t - they must be so proud.

Dirt. Pit. We need the reminders.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Afghanistan "Like Star Wars Bar"

2008-07-01T13:41:00.001-06:00

Harry Smith makes morning talk even smarter.

Dumpster Diving Behind Public Schools

2008-07-01T13:36:00.002-06:00

And this is what you'll find. I know, I had bad thoughts when I read this headline, too.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

2008-07-01T10:46:00.004-06:00

See, what I meant about the ugly choices? Marrying Rosie O'Donnell can't last long. It's the ending that makes it all worthwhile.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

There's A Dude In There I Just Know It

2008-07-01T09:09:00.002-06:00

Iran's president says he has a wife. I say Prove it!

H/T Instapundit who is not married to a man

Don't Mess .... In Texas, You'll Get Shot and Killed Dead

2008-07-01T08:20:00.002-06:00

Why would you be a bad guy in Texas? Everyone owns a gun and people really, really like to use them. Dave from Ace's blog has been watching this case, as have I. He explains what happened:

To recap: Joe Horn, a resident of Pasadena Texas observed two men (illegal aliens as it happens), burglarizing a neighbor's home, and he called 911.
He spent some time on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, waiting for law enforcement to arrive.
They didn't, and he grabbed a shotgun and went out to confront them.
According to the transcript, the 911 operator repeatedly urged Joe to stay inside and wait for law enforcement. Joe waited a while, then said 'he did not believe it would be right to let the burglars get away'.
"Well, here it goes, buddy," Horn can be heard telling the operator. "You hear the shotgun clicking and I'm going."
He went out, told em to stop. They didn't. And he shot both of them, in the back.

Allah says:

There’s the “stand your ground” provision. If it justifies him leaving the house to face them down, it’s not so much an exemption from the duty to retreat as an affirmative right to advance. And how was deadly force “immediately” necessary if it could have been prevented just by sitting tight? He’s got the shotgun and he’s watching them; if they try to come in his house, they’ll never know what hit them. Eh, whatever. It’s not worth parsing the statutes too finely since ultimately it’s in a (grand) jury’s hands and they’re not going to send an old man to jail for shooting two felons caught in the act, whatever the felony and time of day.

Well, this is Texas. The police took a long time to show up. A plain clothes detective saw it and did nothing. Will this force a change in Texas concealed hand gun statutes? Doubtful. Will the Castle Doctrine and its parts and pieces get revoked? Doubt that, too. Will it confirm for knobby-headed elites that Texas is a barbaric, cowboy-attitude-infested wasteland? Probably. Just want to remind the naysayers of this.

One would think that a few instances like this would be a major deterrent to crime. Move to DC, it's safer to be a criminal there.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

McCain's Military Experience Not As Good As Obama's Self-Assessment

2008-06-30T12:16:00.003-06:00

McCain's time as POW meant a big zip when compared to Obama's vast record of stellar character and communication. Hey, I'm not an enthusiastic fan of McCain, but that's a tough sell even for me. I think the Obamatons might want to choose a different subject on which to attack McCain.

Michelle Malkin says:

And Barack Obama’s “executive responsibility” would be…what exactly? Oh, yeah. Conducting leadership training seminars for ACORN shakedown artists!

The Anchoress notes this (read the whole thing):

The current president has shown he can take many punches. Can Obama handle one?

Oh, here’s an idea - let’s suggest that John McCain’s war record is irrelevant. That won’t make you look too hypocritical, will it, after you spent 2004 suggesting John Kerry’s turn in Vietnam defined his worthiness to sit in the Oval Office? Nah, of course not.

Ann Althouse cites examples of Obama's leadership and wonders why Hillary didn't more effectively use this information. My short answer is that the campaigns were so non-stop and had a helter-skelter quality. And did Hillary fear that going after Obama's "experience" would expose her own stellar public service--health care pops to mind.

Don Surber notes Obama's leadership when it comes to women:

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama pays women staffers 87¢ for every $1 he pays his men.

I laughed when Obama said: “Women still earn only 77¢ for every dollar earned by men.”

Where, I wondered, would that be?

Little did I know he was talking about his own Senate office.

What about McCain's leadership? Well, the women on his staff make $1.04 for every $1.00 a man makes.

Tom McGuire ponders Obama's lack of "cowering." Obama the he-man. He will. Not. Break.

If you listen to Barack Obama and his surrogates, he's the man of steel while McCain is a lily-livered guy with no record of public or military service. It's quite a trick to try to turn this around.

New York Without Giuliani and With Stupid Priorities

2008-06-30T10:21:00.003-06:00

Is New York returning to the bad old days pre-Giuliani? Maybe:

The NYPD's CompStat data indeed show upticks in violent crime since last year. The city has had 238 murders so far this year (as of last Sunday), up 7.6 percent from 221 last year, and 664 rapes, up 6.2 percent.

Should we be worried? Queens Councilmember Peter Vallone, chair of the council's Public Safety Committee, thinks so. "We're seeing the beginnings of a return to the bad old days," he says. "We should never forget that we're a thousand percent better off now than we were in 1991, when we had only 31,000 police officers on the street, and we made a decision, through the Safe Cities program, to increase that number by 10,000.

Over at Blue Crab Boulevard:

The new mayor, Michael Bloomberg is very, very concerned with trans fats and the harvesting of organs. Crime? Not so much, it would seem. Quality of life for the taxpaying citizens? Very little.

I remember reading The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell, where he posits that the crime changes in New York had everything to do with population age distribution and nothing to do with Giuliani. Maybe.

It seems to reason that part of the reason that America has been spared more attacks during the Bush years, has not only been his policy but his emphasis and leadership. When criminals of any kind sense weakness they exploit it. If they think they can get a way with murder, they'll try to get away with murder. It might not be causation but certainly there's a correlation.

Allowing crime to increase would be bad news for New York. Security first, then economy. If people are afraid, they won't visit. Three summers ago, I was in New York, all over the city, with my kids and friends. I felt safe everywhere. The police presence was obvious but not obtrusive. With crime rising, Mayor Bloomberg might want to reevaluate his priorities or else families won't be visiting. Between taxes and everything else, New York won't seem so appealing to work in or visit.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

When A Woman Rapes A Man...

2008-06-30T10:01:00.004-06:00

Dr. Helen has a must-read piece about female aggression and rape. I'm reminded of a friend's story of how he lost his virginity at the hands of a babysitter when he was 12 or 13. He was clearly distressed on the one hand but socialized to believe he should be okay with it, on the other. To me, it was clear that the woman had used her position of authority to abuse him. Even the other men at the table shifted uncomfortably upon hearing the story. Every twelve year old boy fantasizes about these things happening, but the consequences when it actually does can be devastating.

This part of the man's letter is especially horrifying:

After most of my drunken stupor wore off around 7 am or so, I awoke again to find her on top of me — this time with a more menacing attitude as she knew I was in a better position to respond physically this time. I had began to wiggle out from under her (taking care not to hurt her baby) when she sternly warned me to “be quiet” and “not be forceful” and made it clear that she would cry rape if I tried to stop it. I was stunned to say the least and not sure how to respond. I could easily have thrown her across the room and off of me, but was concerned for her child and took her threat very, very seriously. She said it so easily that I doubt I was her first.

I weighed my options for a moment and came to the conclusion that a sober, 6 or 7-month pregnant college student of 24 was far more likely to be believed by the authorities than a drunk 19-year old Marine in the best shape of his life. I frequented that club a lot and I’m sure several people saw me leave with her. I was pretty much fucked — in more than one way — at that point.

Rape is about power first, and sex, second. This is rape.

Picking Perfect Babies

2008-06-30T09:19:00.005-06:00

A British family chose IVF and screened embryos that had a breast cancer gene:

By screening out embryos carrying the gene, called BRCA-1, the couple, from London, will eliminate the hereditary disease from their lineage.

About 5% of the 44,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Britain each year are estimated to be caused by the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes, both of which can be detected in embryos.

Doctors say thousands of cases of breast cancer could be avoided by screening embryos using the technique called preimplantation diagnosis (PGD).

Eleven embryos were created. Six had the bad gene. Six were destroyed. Two were implanted. One malfunctioned. Two were frozen for "future use".

As a doctor, I find the notion of avoiding the future pain of such a disastrous disease--55-85% of those with this gene end up with the cancer--exciting and hopeful. But I shudder, too, at the implications and the callous actions taken. Creating eleven lives, destroying six, so that one ostensibly healthy one is created..... It's the destruction that is so problematic. No one would dream of having eleven children, and then dumping six overboard because they had a 50-85% chance of suffering down the road.

Doctors and parents choosing this procedure view embryos as specimens not life. With time, genetic markers will identify everything from depression to homosexuality to heart disease. Given the rationale used in genetic selection, there will be no ethical reason to prevent its use for nearly any dysfunction.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Teenage Girls And Their Mothers

2008-06-30T07:25:00.004-06:00

I had kids late for a Southern woman (which I'm not, since I'm a transplant), so most of my friends around here have teenagers. And many of those teenagers are girls. Oh, the suffering! There are a couple things I've noticed:

All the moms did a good job. They loved their children. They were involved. They made sure the child had a good moral foundation. They met the friends.
All the mothers blame themselves for their daughter's misbehaviors.
The daughters come back around--usually by age 25, but often before.

I've also seen some things that make life worse. Now, many mothers of teenage girls are traversing their own hormonal terrain. They are either perimenopausal or menopausal themselves. Depending on their heredity, diet, etc., this transition can be brutal. Like a girlfriend of mine told me about her own mom, "My mom curled up in the fetal position and cried for a year and us kids were all out of the house and grown. I'm menopausal with a 10 year old and working full time." It's a different world and so this life transition can be complicated. Many of the women I know are going through menopause while their daughters navigate the teen years. That makes for emotional agony--and I'm not even talking about the poor men in their lives.

Here are some of the things the moms do when things are going well. They have shown me a great example and I hope that I do as well when I cross this bridge:

They control their emotions. When it descends into a screaming match, the relationship looks more like two peers than a parent-child relationship. Actually, someone is in charge. It's the kid. And while the daughter claims to want to be in charge, that's generally B.S. She wants freedom, yes, but she doesn't want too much responsibility. Mom has to stay in control, otherwise no one has it.
They keep their humor. Drinking and drugs help. Actually, no they don't. Sometimes the mood just gets too heavy and most of it is just comedic, not tragic. The happy, centered moms find the humor.
They keep perspective. When a child says they hate you and can't wait to leave and knows all the soft spots and exploits them, it's difficult to keep perspective. It seems like this will go on forever. But it won't. One way or another, this will be over. At the very least, the kid will move out in a huff.
They seek support. This seems to be a time where friends and familial support is crucial. Most people wouldn't go on a wilderness trek alone. Going through the teenage wasteland alone seems foolish, too. I'm watching and learning and I know exactly who I'll call when the time comes. One bonus to having kids later is that my friends will be done with it and enjoying grandkids (if their daughters have started speaking to them again). They can laugh at me and give me advice.
They trust themselves and their daughters (within reason). Fundamentally, parents are terrified because of what they did at that age and because they fear they screwed up their kids and their kids will repeat their own mistakes. That might happen, and really, if a kid is hell-bent to destruction, there isn't much a parent can do to stop it. Most of the time, though, the mom did a good job and the daughter is a good kid.
They aren't idiots. A friend of mine said that she hid a baby monitor in her teenage daughter's room. Her daughter never could figure out how her mom knew everything. Another friend installed software on her daughter's computer so she knew where her daughter was and what she was doing. Is it sneaky? Yes. Did the mothers have the information they needed to head off disasters? Yes. You can't parent and be a moron. If it is in your house, it's not off limits. Now this must tempered with wisdom. There is a fine line between concern and complete psychopathology. I have seen more than my share of narcissistic, manipulative, crazy parents who violated boundaries, and just generally made their kids lives hell. I'm not talking about that. It's called sense, though and it means paying attention.
They take care of themselves. They are exercising and eating right and indulging in interests and doing what they love, thereby setting an example for their daughter. Their daughter is paying attention. A tired, crabby, overwhelmed mother models tired, crabby, unthinking coping mechanisms. Children, even teens reflect back what they see. In fact, one of the amusing things (from the outside), is hearing moms complain about their daughters. I have yet to see behavior from the daughter that isn't a perfect, if exaggerated, reflection of the mom's behavior. Yes, this terrifies me.

Moms of teenage girls deserve the same sort of sympathy mothers of freaked out toddlers get. The teenage brain and hormone system is changing at the same pace as a toddlers, it's just that the "baby" is in a nearly grown-up body and it throws everyone off. It helps for parents to remember this, too. That's why a mom will see the child swing from rational to hissy fit to rational in a span of hours, sometimes, minutes. Good diet is helpful here. (Keep in mind that carbs make blood sugar go up and down and moods often follow the sugar. Make sure your daughter is getting enough protein.) And make sure to let the kid sleep enough, too.

If nothing else, a woman I know said this about parenting teenagers, "This too shall pass."

Wall-E

2008-06-29T18:17:00.003-06:00

Took the kiddos to Wall*E today. It is not a kid's movie and yet they loved it. My daughter announced as it was finished, "I want to see it again!" So, did I. I'm still mulling the meaning of it and pondering the imagery, which is so rich and visually stimulating, it deserves a second and third look. (Trailers here.)

Imagine Bladerunner meets E.T. meets The Sound of Music. I'm serious. The setting is a dystopian science fiction backdrop of a ruined world. The flashing neon signs felt straight out of the darkness of Bladerunner. The plucky main character, even his gravelly voice and big expressive eyes, his sympathy, his cheerful task-orientation reminded me of E.T. And the love story, for this is what the movie really is, is pure romance along the lines of The Sound of Music.

Here's the negative, and one reviewer finds it a horrible negative, but he's in the minority: The villain, superficially, is the evil corporation Buy-n-Large or BNL. I don't know if Disney-Pixar is being ironic. I mean, who, besides Disney creates better, huge, artificial, commercial environments? I can't think of one. So, this corporation took over the world, created a mess and earth ends up trashed. Actually, it ends up a literal trash heap. So, you've got the environmentalism crap too. Still, the real villains are the stupid people. Humans, or is it Americans, are dumbasses....or can be fat, lazy and stupid. The question: can humans redeem themselves?

Pixar's robots are human, some good, some evil, and the humans lost their humanity somewhere in the hundreds of years of their cruise-ship-like existence when they had to escape Earth. Earth is desolate and deserted and Wall-E is alone in the world until he receives his first visitor--Eve. And from there, things get more interesting. Saving the world, saving humanity and saving love all factor into the wee story arc.

The movie sticks with me now and I'll be contemplating the implications for a long time. There's so much more I could tell you, but I won't. Except this: Go see the movie. It's the best movie I've seen in a long, long time.

Four/four stars.

Are We In A Global Recession or Depression?

2008-06-29T08:58:00.003-06:00

It's so weird, the quality of the economy seems to be strange. The Malls are full and busy, but they must be slow in some places. If the oil bubble bursts will the economy just be bad or will the burst bubble cause people to be able to reallocate resources and build their businesses again and start having disposable income? That's where people are feeling it, I think, the extras--and just about everything but food and shelter is an "extra". Maxed Out Mama says:

The UK is now in the stage at which credit card spending is going up as people try to maintain living standards in the face of declining real incomes. This is the last gasp for the UK, and will end in a pretty strong downturn, because UK household debt cannot keep increasing at these levels. Please see the link for a piece of excellent analysis by Alice Cook. Bottom line, this is an inflation signature.

So what now? We have global correlations. I guess we all watch as oil rises every time stock markets drop on realistic expectations. It appears that oil speculation is the last refuge of idiots.

The entire world cannot support global growth based on nothing but spending increases in oil-exporting countries, so the game is over. The only question is whether we get a pretty strong global recession, or whether we get a global depression type event.

So, what's the answer? A friend is stocking up--on food, ammo, guns, generators, fuel, etc. Glenn Beck was recommending the same thing on his radio program which I thought interesting--not that anyone is getting their economic advice from him.

I'd like concrete advice for hedging against inflation.

So She Had A Bad Day

2008-06-28T13:58:00.005-06:00

Can we all commiserate with Hillary Clinton just for a moment and consider how utterly galling it must have been to stand by her man, once again?

She's used to dancing and gazing. She's taken it to an art form, really, but still, yesterday had to suck for her.

Hard.

Annie Git Yer Gun--Even In D.C.

2008-06-26T08:53:00.004-06:00

Via the Scotusblog:

Answering a 127-year old constitutional question, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a gun, at least in one’s home. The Court, splitting 5-4, struck down a District of Columbia ban on handgun possession. Although times have changed since 1791, Justice Antonin Scalia said for the majority, “it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”

Justice Scalia’s opinion stressed that the Court was not casting doubt on long-standing bans on carrying a concealed gun or on gun possession by felons or the mentally retarded, on laws barring guns from schools or government buildings, and laws putting conditions on gun sales. [Opinion here.]

Well, the solution to yesterday's problem, seems to be this: Keep your child with you at all times, arm yourself and shoot the f__________. (John won't let me use swear words. Sometimes they just fit.)

The thing that seem unfathomable to me is that four justices voted against this obviousness. Anyone who reads the constitution, sees the right to own a gun. Only lawyers twisting themselves into self-righteous pretzels could see this any other way.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Supreme Arrogance and Common Sense

2008-06-26T08:29:00.003-06:00

Even Barack Obama feels the Supreme Court overreached with their asinine ruling where they came to the conclusion that there is a "cultural consensus" against capital punishment for child rapists. It seems that there's a cultural consensus, alright, and it is exactly opposite to the court's. Here is what Obama said:

Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday he disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision outlawing executions of people who rape children, a crime he said states have the right to consider for capital punishment.
"I have said repeatedly that I think that the death penalty should be applied in very narrow circumstances for the most egregious of crimes," Obama said at a news conference. "I think that the rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime and if a state makes a decision that under narrow, limited, well-defined circumstances the death penalty is at least potentially applicable, that that does not violate our Constitution."

Well, duh. The constitution is clear. The justices are pushing for a situation where the death penalty is never permissible. I mean, if men who rape five year olds don't qualify to get a one-way ticket to meet their Maker, who does?

And to address the fear of "murdering the witness" should the death penalty be allowed.. The court doesn't seem to follow their own logic. What will happen is this: People will take the law into their own hands. When justice isn't swift or just, people get frustrated. And who would blame the guy who goes after the child rapists? And these guys are not exactly treated well in prison. That's not cruel and unusual? So the justices essentially condone street justice for these freaks.

Here's the consensus, since the justices seem to be breathing the same elite rarefied air: Normal, average people have children. They watch the news and know that there are depraved people who are incapable of rehabilitation. A person who can do these things to a child ceases to demonstrate any ability to function in society. Period. For the safety of the community, they need to be dead. I don't want my tax dollars feeding this animal. I don't want my tax dollars spent protecting him in prison. I want him dead. And I'm not alone. Every person I know, liberal or conservative feels the same way. I call that a consensus.

Some truths are so self-evident they are call common sense. The Supreme Court's decision yesterday demonstrated a decided lack of this increasingly rare trait. They also demonstrated that they have no problem taking legislative power as their own.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Democrats: A Blood Sugar Crisis At The Convention

2008-06-25T14:59:00.003-06:00

No, no! You musn't touch the greasy food!

Eight years ago, or so, I went to a week-long retreat/seminar where all the food was "healthy". No sugar. No meat. Everything was vegetarian. Well. Let me tell you, by day three, people were getting hostile. There were some internationals there, and unused to the US they didn't have vehicles, so were stuck, helplessly enslaved to health.

Meanwhile, I had brought a stash. Plus, we had a car so we could replenish our naughty supplies which included everything from salted peanuts to Cokes to Twix bars and other forms of chocolaty goodness. Can you say cool kids? Yeah, for once in my nerdified life, I was a cool kid and I promise you, it is much more fun than being an orchestra geek.

So, I'm laughing about the suckahs who are going to the Democratic convention. It's going to be healthy, ya'll, and those Lefties will be even more angry than usual. Delicious!

Among them: No fried food. And, on the theory that nutritious food is more vibrant, each meal should include "at least three of the following colors: red, green, yellow, blue/purple, and white." (Garnishes don't count.) At least 70% of ingredients should be organic or grown locally, to minimize emissions from fuel burned during transportation. "One would think," says Mr. Burns, "that the Democrats in Denver have bigger fish to bake -- they have ruled out frying already -- than mandating color-coordinated pretzel platters."

Democrats say the point is to build habits that will endure long after the convention. To that end, the city has staged "greening workshops" attended by hundreds of caterers, restaurant owners and hotel managers. "It's the new patriotism," Mayor Hickenlooper says.

I'm giggling. I'm a chiropractor and I'm all for healthy food. But a bigger principle to me is that people can eat what they dang well please and attempts by self-righteous do-gooders to impose their utopian food fantasies is just plain annoying. Which is what I explained to my co-conspirators at the well-intentioned seminar of yore. Sure, I believe that eating healthy is great, but imposed rules grate on me like carrots on a shredder. It makes me want to eat a steak, guzzle a beer, have a potato chip and chase it with some chocolate cake while singing the Star Spangled Banner at a million decibles.

The Dem Convention is just amusing though. This is self-flaggelation of the highest order. Already Hillary's people will be hating Barack's gloating hoards. Take away their sugar and caffiene and make them eat three colors and it will be colorful alright! There will be fireworks. I can't wait!

Time For The Annual Pedicure

2008-06-25T14:39:00.002-06:00

So I'm wondering what the tip should be considering my feet and toe nails haven't had TLC for over a year. It's almost impossible to be too generous, isn't it? The dastardly deed happens tonight. And I'm wondering about color choices, too. So indecisive. Actually, so really don't care, but I know since I'm a girl, I should care about the color, but I really don't so I end up with the same old red.

We won't even discuss the hair. That's a problem for another day.

Because A Child Rapist's Life Is Worth Saving

2008-06-25T08:53:00.004-06:00

The Supreme Court issued another stellar ruling: It is "disproportionate" to take the life of a child rapist. That would be cruel and unusual punishment. As opposed to what the child endured, which falls into the category "lucky to be alive". Lucky, lucky child! Here is a sampling of the reasoning: (Opinion here.)

Part of the Court’s rationale for nullifying a death sentence for raping a child was that the child victim gets enlisted, perhaps repeatedly, to recount the crime, forcing on the child “a moral choice” that the youngster is not mature enough to make. “The way the death penalty here involves the child victim in its enforcement can compromise a decent legal system,” Justice Kennedy wrote.

More here. Ann Althouse notes Alito's dissent:

ADDED: In dissent, Justice Alito (joined by the Chief Justice and Justices Scalia and Thomas) emphasizes the breadth of the decision:
The Court today holds that the Eighth Amendment categorically prohibits the imposition of the death penalty for the crime of raping a child. This is so, according to the Court, no matter how young the child, no matter how many times the child is raped, no matter how many children the perpetrator rapes, no matter how sadistic the crime, no matter how much physical or psychological trauma is inflicted, and no matter how heinous the perpetrator’s prior criminal record may be. The Court provides two reasons for this sweeping conclusion: First, the Court claims to have identified “a national consensus” that the death penalty is never acceptable for the rape of a child; second, the Court concludes, based on its “independent judgment,” that imposing the death penalty for child rape is inconsistent with “ ‘the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.’ ”

Leaving aside that gem, the Court took more rights from the state to punish as they see fit. Taking away states rights has become a disturbing trend of the Supreme Court.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Summer Is Here And Let's Face It, We're Tired Of These Guys

2008-06-25T08:19:00.003-06:00

This campaign season could not have been more fatiguing. As much fun as it was to watch the sissy fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, it's over now. As an aside, I've had to chuckle about the talk of the "brutal campaign season". What? The Democratic primary candidates hardly disagreed policy-wise and when things got to stressful, Hillary cried and Obama lamented the "distraction" and demanded an apology. What a bunch of weenies. It's not like we were watching Lincoln and Douglas or anything.

So now, we have what we have. Looking at the candidates, one can only sigh and ask, "Is this the best we could do?" Since the answer seems to be yes, and that in itself is depressing, might as well enjoy the lovely weather outside and ignore the bleak implications of either a McCain or Obama candidacy (and this post will make my friend mad who thinks everyone should be enthusiastically rallying to McCain's banner, to which I responded, "isn't it enough that I'm going to hold my nose and vote for this man?" Evidently not.).

I'm wondering about how you're spending your time these days.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Climate Cultists

2008-06-24T14:09:00.006-06:00

The world could end tomorrow....for you. Hell, it could end today. That's right, every moment you're living, you're avoiding the apocalypse and have escaped the inevitable doom all humans face. It's called death and it's appointed to all of us.

Christians though, believe that a catastrophic end is inevitable, and through the ages, different dates and times have been set. Currently, people are nervous because the Mayan calendar ends in 2012. The Dutch seem to be particularly concerned:

The Dutch-language de Volkskrant newspaper said it spoke to thousands of believers in the impending end of civilization, and while theories on the supposed catastrophe varied, most tied the 2012 date to the end of the Mayan calendar, Radio Netherlands reported Monday.

De Volkskrant said many of those interviewed are stocking up on emergency supplies, including life rafts and other equipment.

Some who spoke to the newspaper were optimistic about the end of civilization.

"You know, maybe it's really not that bad that the Netherlands will be destroyed," Petra Faile said. "I don't like it here anymore. Take immigration, for example. They keep letting people in. And then we have to build more houses, which makes the Netherlands even heavier. The country will sink even lower, which will make the flooding worse."

Earlier this year, some Russians holed up in caves and had to come out for health reasons. They'd be spared from the coming darkness while you suckers got torched. Last month, an American cult leader, convinced that he is one of the two witnesses (his wife is the other one, evidently) of Revelation fame, came back from Israel without embarrassment when the world didn't end according to his predictions.

At the one end of the spectrum, there's the manipulative cultists preparing for the world's end. Lead by a narcissistic and ego-driven (usually) man the one truth that can be counted on is this: his followers will make him very rich. Money seems to go hand-in-hand with the absolute power the disciples cede to the cult leader.

While I have a visceral dislike for cults generally, I figure the biggest harm is to the followers themselves. They usually turn on their families and give enormous amounts of cash to some idiot, but oh well. That's their choice and they are usually adhering to some fairly strict dogma which can make them decent citizens if they're following the Bible. As long as they aren't interested in imposing their skewed worldview on everyone else, they can worship how they want. It's a free country.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are secular cultists. Big sums of money, emotionalism, exclusionary status, gurus, saviors, and dogma define these guys as much as the "christianists" they like to mock. Maxed Out Mama says this:

Well, actually, I haven't seen the Pope demanding that those who are sure that God doesn't exist be put on trial. That's why I think this brand of climate science is a cult. It's not just a religion, it's a cult. And on DU, there are some true believers:
7. We're talking about CRIMES against humanity, the planet - billions of lives are at stake

Spreading doubt about climate change IS a crime, IMHO. Climate change is a PROVEN FACT, and unless we take immediate steps to rein it in, will kill BILLIONS of people over the next century. That doesn't even begin to take into account the countless species that will become EXTINCT.

This isn't about free speech. The time for debate is OVER, there is no more debate - how can you debate something that is a proven scientific fact? But unlike the "debate" over evolution, this one is going to have deadly consequences.
Darned if I know whether to laugh or cry. Hundreds of years of the Enlightenment dumped in one fell swoop.

Maybe there will be a transcript to which we can refer for the real story. I've explained as simply as possible why I believe the IPCC runaway CO2-forced warming theory is falsified, but I'd never claim that people who disagree with me should be tried for crimes against humanity!!!

Here's the problem with the global warming zealots: they don't believe in God or divine law or an overarching morality. They are god, they make the law and it is their morality that counts. In addition, not only do they want to adhere to their wacked out belief system they want to impose it on everyone.

The scary part: it's working.

In the absence of a cogent belief system, any old idea will march in take roost. Because so much is on the line and because no real Savior is coming, according to the secularists, they toss out reason to believe in a man, a myth, a legend. So Obama gets messianic status. Global warming is the religion of true believers. And socialism is the saving grace of humanity.

Christianity can be misused and abused and as the world gets more topsy-turvy, cults will abound. The absence of God has not been the presence of scientific enlightenment, unfortunately. Just the contrary. The Climate Cultists prove that.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Who Cares What Don Imus Says?

2008-06-24T13:42:00.004-06:00

Does it matter that a talk radio host is racist? I'm serious. Howard Stern has made a good living, um, exploiting sex and weirdos and everything and everyone else. Now, Don Imus has supposedly waded into racist waters again, although it seems that his words were misinterpreted. But let's just say he did say something racist, does it matter?

Mike Nizza asks:

So what is at work here, folks? Have Americans all lost the ability to detect sarcasm (the subject of this excellent science story)? Is Don Imus guilty of racism? Was this episode the calculated controversy-stirring of a veteran shock jock, meant to split the debate in two? Or is his on-air transformation complete, from a voice that was outrageously racially insensitive to one that is quite sensitive indeed?

Bah! Who cares? Don Imus is free to spout his opinions and people are free to listen--or not. That Al Sharpton get's his boxers in a bundle or that Pacman Jones even responds at all gives the talk show host a bigger platform than he deserves.

The bigger concern is that Americans have lost their humor. Every moment in time has taken on the breath-taking gravity of a near-death experience. Life is all so serious. Between the economy, oil prices, race, sex, gender, age, fatness, whales, trees, birds in nests, abuse, flu, weather and all the rest, there is no topic that is safe to laugh at anymore. The lack of laughter demonstrates a distressing loss of perspective.

People can choose to see tragedy or comedy. It's more fun to laugh. If Don Imus makes you laugh, listen. If he gets on your nerves, turn the dial. In the meantime, it would be nice if the hysteria were taken down a notch. Life is pretty good. And even when it sucks, there is something to laugh at.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Nutters In Nests

2008-06-24T11:51:00.002-06:00

My friend in Oakland insists that I don't have the big picture. Oh, I have it alright.

Bush Was Right

2008-06-23T21:22:00.001-06:00

Liberals were wrong. History will be kind to George W. Bush.

Chinese Deal With Recalcitrant Muslims

2008-06-23T20:48:00.003-06:00

The government gets peeved, they plow down the mosque. Ya gotta hand it to communists, they can be efficient when they want to be. Gateway Pundit muses, "Obviously, the Chinese could care less about the reaction from radical Islamists over the demolition."

I'm wondering how brave radical Islamists will be in going after the Chinese government. The Chinese seem pretty confident.

Big Breakfast, Lose Weight

2008-06-23T20:40:00.001-06:00

Makes sense. The key my furry friends is good fat (a little) and protein. It fills you up and gives you long term energy. So, slow down and have some eggs for breakfast. You'll feel better all day and eat less too.

More Biased Reporting--UPDATED

2008-06-23T20:25:00.002-06:00

Ridiculous:

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a plea by environmental groups to rein in the Bush administration's power to waive laws and regulations to speed construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Update:

James Lileks sums up the modern press:

It is amusing, really – after sticking people’s heads in the muck every day for years, promoting every faddish scare, fluffing the pillow beneath every yuppie worry, swapping the straight-forward adult approach to news with presenters who emote the copy with the sad face of a day-care worker telling the children that Barney is dead – in short, after decades of presenting the world through the peculiar prism that finds in every day more evidence of our rot and our failures, they wonder why people are depressed. Hang the banner, guys: Mission Accomplished.

Whales Lose Supreme Court Case and the NYT Laments and Gnashes Teeth

2008-06-23T14:39:00.004-06:00

Check out the first paragraph of David Stout's opinion piece, I mean, hard-hitting New York Time's reportage:

The Supreme Court sided with the White House on Monday in two cases involving national security and worries about the environment, strengthening the Bush administration’s drive, at least for now, for sweeping executive powers in the post-9/11 world.

"At least for now..". Sounds ominous, David. When Democrats run things and put whale-loving justices on the Supreme Court, all will be good. Hold on, Mr. Stout, with Obama it will all be better soon. And here is what has got Mr. Stout so upset:

In the sonar case, the justices said they would review a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which on Feb. 27 upheld most of a lower court ruling that banned high-powered sonar within 12 miles of the coast. Environmental groups had sued to block the use of the sonar because they feared harm to whales and dolphins.
The Bush administration has argued that the sonar training exercises, used to practice tracking of hostile submarines, are vital to national defense, that the possible harm to marine life was being exaggerated and that, in any event, military need should take precedence over the welfare of water creatures.
“This is an issue that is essential to national security, and we welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to review this case,” Lt. Sean Robertson, a Navy spokesman, told The Associated Press.
Southern California’s coastal waters are home to dozens of species of whales, dolphins, seals and sea lions, including nine species that are federally listed as endangered or threatened. Marine biologists have said the sonar in question generates extreme pressure that can disorient and injure the creatures, disrupting their feeding and mating schedules and causing injuries. The Navy has insisted that it takes adequate protective measures, but the Natural Resources Defense Council disagreed, and sued to stop the tests.

The government and military hates children and animals. And the Supreme Court sided with the haters! It's just all too much. In addition, the Supremes said that the government doesn't have to do environmental studies for every portion of the desolate desert that separates the U.S. and Mexico. The administration has unfettered ability to put up that blankety-blank fence. Horrors!

So many things jump out at me from this stupid article. First, the writer doesn't even attempt neutrality. He makes no pretense whatsoever about his bias and just hangs it out there for all to see. This is the New York Times, people, the paper of record. Second, could the outrage be directed at anything sillier? I mean, come on. The Navy shouldn't be able to do sonar maneuvers that would be vital, I should think, should the West-coasters want a decent defense if they're ever attacked. And who would scream the loudest if a fleet of Chinamen stormed Malibu? Third, about the fence and environmental studies. Anyone who has been along the border of Mexico and the U.S. knows it ain't the loveliest terrain. What the hell is there to protect environmentally? Good grief. I get not wanting to hurt whales and dolphins and I'm guessing the Navy doesn't want to. But what is out there in the vast sandy emptiness that needs to be protected?

Soon, though, David Stout will be psyched. Obama will win, put up justices who love babies and animals and the world will be a less mean place. I get weepy thinking about it, but not for the reason Stout does.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

High Gas Prices Cause Parents To Murder Children

2008-06-23T09:54:00.003-06:00

Murderous impulses abound these days. In Houston, children seem to be particularly vulnerable to their parent's frustration. It's a new phenomenon, really, child abuse, and the local government officials are grasping for reasons what has so recently gone horribly wrong. The Houston Chronicle's Dane Schiller reports:

With word Saturday that yet another parent was implicated in an attack on his children — police say he led them to the partially burned bodies — there was a feeling that something is horribly wrong with some families in the Greater Houston metropolitan area.

"Whether it is high gas prices or people not happy with their jobs or whatever, we have got a lot of anger and violence in our society, way too much, particularly family violence," Houston Councilman Peter Brown said.

Later, another expert gives his explanation:

Still, Klineberg said, they speak to growing stress for families, including the challenge of making ends meet.

"It is tough out there. People snap," he said. "And when you have 6 million people, one or two are going to snap in a bad way."

A few years ago, Andrea Yates drowned her kids in a bathtub. The gas prices were a moderate sub $2.00/gallon. Houston didn't want for violence in 2005 and gas prices were fantastic.

Houston's unemployment rate was higher in 2006 than it is now, so murders should be lower now. And maybe they are. You won't find this out from the local press, though, because it doesn't fit the narrative. And what is the narrative? The economy is horrible. Life is horrible. Gas prices are high, oil companies are bad and that's horrible.

Oh wait, when looking at the numbers, though, murders were up in 2006, but it wasn't unemployment, it was the fine folks from New Orleans. As those yahoos got put in the clink, the murder rate declined in 2007. And looky here:

HPD officials say that the City of Houston has recorded the fewest numbers of murders for the first quarter of this year since 2005.

The unofficial numbers show 78 murders were recorded through the first three months of this year.nThere were 88 murders for the same period in 2007. That’s an 11.3 percent decrease.

Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt said the decline shows that the department’s targeted crime initiatives and overtime programs throughout the city are paying off. “While murders are nearly impossible crimes to predict and prevent, we do feel our overtime programs in place, including those officers assigned to our Crime Reduction Unit, can impact crimes that could escalate to murder,” said Chief Hurtt.

Wow, those are dramatic numbers and not at all the impression one gets from reading something like Dan Schiller put together. The notion that there are always going to be nutso crazies killing their kids doesn't occur to these people. What occurs to them is that it's politically expedient to exploit a child's horrific death at the hands of a parent and blame......the latest trend.

Whether it be Twinkies (really depression) or oil or the economy or global warming or fill-in-the-blank excuse, according to Leftists no one is responsible for his murderous impulses and it's always worse Right Now! because it fits the latest trendy, alarmist call to action. It's stupid. I hope no one is paying attention to them.

Oh wait, they're not.

H/T Rorschach

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Obama's Grandiosity

2008-06-22T12:01:00.003-06:00

I was watching a rerun of Saturday Night Live where the comedian playing Campbell Brown actually orgasms on camera during an Obama debate answer. I don't think it was parody. The press is beyond parody.

As sickening as the press' weepy adoration can be, though, it doesn't approach the emetic power of Obama's autophilia. Cassy Fiano went to the Obamassiah's website and found his interpretation of the Declaration of Independence. So, now, Obama has his own re-worked presidential seal which Mickey Kaus notes (via Glenn Reynolds):

Is Obama's new faux-presidential, alternative-reality seal his "Mission Accomplished"? If you wanted to emphasize to voters that the Democrats' nominee is a bit stuck up, it would be hard to do better. I suppose he could start requiring reporters to stand when he enters the room. ... The seal probably started out as a bit of fun. But unless David Axelrod is insane, the thing will never be seen again. .. 2:15 A.M.

and, Obama wants history to start now, with him. Cassy says:

I especially love the line “the first presidential election truly funded by the people”. In that sentence, Barack Obama is smearing every single former President as illegitimate. Amazing. It’s as if Obama is actually starting to believe the hype, that he’s starting to actually see himself as the Obamamessiah. And I have to wonder, does he really believe that every other President was not funded by the people? Does he really think that? With that sentence, he’s painting even our Founding Fathers as swindlers and con-artists who cheated the people to get the Presidency, and himself as the benevolent Savior breaking away from that tradition.

I don't think that Obama is just believing the hype. He's been high on his own noxious emissions for a long time now. He's becoming more, well, exhibitionistic, since he's ostensibly clinched the Democratic nomination. Before it's all over, the emperor will be running around naked and doing back bends while in discussions with Ahmedinejad so we can appreciate him in his unfettered, diplomatic glory.

Obama is his own hope he can believe in.

What Up?

2008-06-22T11:50:00.002-06:00

This weekend I've been working on the new blog. It is going to be so cool when it's done, but we're a little way away from finishing it up. The guy working on it, Daniel, is a saint. When it's finished, I'm going to write and tell you what I put him through and how he has surpassed all expectations. Truly, if you need your blog or website worked on, Dan is The Man.

FYI, I'm moving over to WordPress and using Hosting Matters and so far, I love both. I use MoveableType with John Hawkin's blog Right Wing News and don't like it as much. Of course, I'm not a programming guru. No one uses Basic anymore. So, take my opinion for what it's worth and it aint' worth much. Thanks for the push Rachel and Cassy! (Dan did Cassy's work, too, that's how I found him.)

High Gas Prices Are Turning More Consumers Into Criminals

2008-06-21T16:48:00.004-06:00

I am not freaking kidding. MSNBC's national news blames oil prices for making people criminals. My brother said, "Next up, unemployment turns more people into armed robbers." And the genius they quoted said, "stolen fuel costs the industry $140 million last year, and I expect it to go up this year." Ya think? I mean gas prices have doubled. If less gas gets stolen this year, and this is a stretch because I was public school educated, it will still cost the industry more money. Sometimes I'm so impressive. I can't help it.

And there isn't a direct link for this stupidity because it's not on their website yet.

Thank God Abortion Is Legal

2008-06-21T16:44:00.002-06:00

I mean, if it were illegal, people would prey on women and women would be harmed by untrained people posing as medical personnel:

The owner of a clinic has been charged with posing as a doctor to perform abortions, some of them unsuccessful or resulting in severe complications and hospitalization, prosecutors said Friday.

Bertha Pinedo Bugarin, 48, was arrested Thursday after a yearlong investigation, San Diego County district attorney spokesman Paul Levikow said.
She was charged with 10 felony counts, including performing medical procedures without a license and grand theft, he said. She faces more than nine years in prison if convicted.

Bugarin, who was being held on $500,000 bail, was scheduled to be arraigned July 2. An call to her attorney Peter Hughes after business hours Friday was not immediately returned.

Prosecutors said Bugarin at one time operated six clinics in Southern California that provided abortions. For her clinic in Chula Vista, near the Mexican border, she advertised her service on Spanish-language television and charged $500 for an abortion.

Wow, America dodged a bullet. Legal abortion makes everyone safe.

Get The Girl With Blogging

2008-06-21T15:16:00.001-06:00

Hey, it'd work for me!

Houston Is #1

2008-06-20T14:11:00.001-06:00

Yeah, baby!

Nobody's An A@@hole Anymore

2008-06-20T09:46:00.003-06:00

Sorry, folks, that's rather raw, but whatever. A friend was telling me about her troubles with her man and suggested that the guy had "manic-depression". I responded, "How about, he's just an a@@hole?" I mean, come on. Why the need to pathologize everything and everyone?

Ace points to this research that men with this "dark triad" get more women:

A "dark triad" of unpleasant personality traits lie behind James Bond's success as a womaniser, say researchers.

Two studies suggest that men who are narcissistic, psychopathic and Machiavellian tend to have large numbers of sexual conquests.
****
Narcissists are self obsessed and manipulative, psychopaths are impulsive, thrill-seeking and callous, and people with a Machiavellian nature are deceitful and exploitative. There is evidence that the traits have an up-side - they lead to men having a prolific sex life and fathering more offspring. As a result, they have not been "weeded out" by natural selection.

Oh, and the research subjects were 200 college-age men not 50 year old 007 types. You know, the dudes who have sex with as many women as possible, will say anything to get laid and just generally seek conquest are at first worshipped, then they are viewed as dicks, and then they end up being viewed as just plain lame. I mean, it's one thing to be that guy in college. It's another thing to be, well, an old dude hanging out at the bar this way.

Narcissistic? Psychopathic? Machiavellian? How about pathetic a@@hole? Forget the elaborate research and diagnoses. Some people are just jerks. The need to pathologize is the need to shoe-horn anti-social, jerk behavior into evolutionary theory. These guys mess up the theory. They're uncooperative. They're self-seeking. So, in theory their behavior would open them up to harm because they are, well, a@@holes who no one likes and no one wants to help.

But the researchers miss the obvious. These thrill-seeking dudes can channel their testosterone into noble roles--killing lions, making heroic treks, winning feats of strength. So these guys spread their seed, but they were often warriors and maybe even general protectors like 007 even if they didn't commit to one unit to protect. So they're jerks, but maybe they have some redeeming characteristics which is why they have yet to be weeded out of the gene pool. Ace says:

Shock: Dicks Get More Tail.

Psychopathy? Really?

It actually sounds like this is just extroverted sociopathy or even just plain old being a bastard. They really seem to be overselling the "dark triad' thing with that "psychopathy." Isn't it enough to be sociopathic without wanting to butcher people and wear their genitals as hats?

Nerdy researchers, I have a newsflash: These guys survive and will continue to thrive. Psychologically "normal" guys often finish last. It sucks, sorry.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Comparing Obama and Limbaugh

2008-06-20T09:37:00.002-06:00

Ann Althouse does and says this:

I'm inclined to say Rush is wrong, but I note that he's only asking a series of questions, so I can't. I'll have to say that, ironically, Rush is a bit like Obama, wandering aimlessly for syllabic combinations that will equal a cogent, salient thought. Both men mesmerize their listeners and move them along on a current of verbiage.

Well. Limbaugh is a radio personality and entertainer. His schtick is his ability to craft a sentence and provoke. Obama's ability to "mesmerize" and "move them along on a current of verbiage" is a little more distressing because the President actually has to stand for something as he will represent the country. Limbaugh represents his capitalistic imperative. More power to him, but he won't be representing me or America or defining foreign policy or imposing government solutions. (And I'm not saying that Althouse believes this, only that the comparison seems odd. Liberals pick fights with Limbaugh all the time--and Ann is no liberal. The compare and contrast should be with McCain.)

Believing Barack--UPDATED

2008-06-20T08:50:00.006-06:00

We can expect more tap dancing on a grand scale from a future President Obama based on his response to the women banned from his photo op the other day. Gateway Pundit via Debbie Schlussel finds that the women are not sweet little Muslim girls who were discriminated against by Obama but rather radical anti-Israel activists and friends. That's interesting enough, but it's Obama's response to these two yahoos that's more interesting. When CAIR suggested he personally call them and apologize, he did.

Obama stepped in it over the unpartitioned Jerusalem and backtracked. Obama just generally seems befuddled a lot. Like most politicians, he'll say anything to anyone for one reason: to get elected. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this though, is that no one will believe him. People need to believe the word of the Commander-in-Chief.

George W. Bush is hated because of his policies and because of his beliefs. He also has the temerity to follow through with his word. So, conservatives are angry about illegal immigration and No Child Left Behind, but can anyone act surprised? Bush did what he said he was going to do.

Barack Obama says anything to anyone. As President, he's preside like he's campaigning: appeasing everyone. It worked for Bill Clinton, but this is not Bill Clinton's world. America, for all the Left's denial, is at war and will still be in November should the Savior take the helm. Tough decisions requiring coherent ideas will make enemies. Maybe, at that point, Obama won't care. I suspect he won't. He will have won the prize and that's the goal. America's standing is secondary to the symbolic magnificence of Obama in the White House.

He appeases now. He will appease later. It's a disturbing thought.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

UPDATE:

Right Wing Sparkle notes how the Brits see Obama:

My guess is that British voters would really prefer a dual presidency, with Obama handling domestic policy and McCain in charge of foreign policy. Obama could make America more like Britain with universal, government-managed health care; higher taxes on the "rich" and on capital gains; expanded social services; trade unions made more powerful; continued preferences for blacks seeking university places and government jobs; gay marriage or some variant thereof; abortion on demand.

He goes on to describe what McCain would do in foreign policy, but has anyone in America ever described so well Obama's domestic policy????

Simple, brief, and completely scary.

I think it's safe to believe this is what Obama wants domestically. And it is completely scary.

Babies For Love

2008-06-19T14:26:00.003-06:00

This is what the world is coming to:

There's a stunning twist to the sudden rise in teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School. Seventeen students there are expecting and many of them became that way on purpose.

Time Magazine first reported that nearly half of the girls confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. None of them is older than 16.

Schools Superintendent Christopher Farmer told WBZ's Bill Shields Thursday the girls had "an agreement to get pregnant."

No parents of the 17 girls were interviewed. What causes a peer group to come up with such a self-defeating scheme? The Superintendent says the girls "lacked love". Teenagers can be mind-numbingly stupid, though. It seems to me that at least a few of these girls had loving families. It's possible that they all had uncaring parents but I doubt it.

I'm putting this one to a vote. It just seems too crazy.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Testosterone Supplementation To Stay Young Feeling and Healthy

2008-06-19T09:40:00.003-06:00

Testosterone does good things for a body, both male and female. It increases bone density, muscle mass, mental acuity, increases metabolism, enhances libido and according to this research, fights against metabolic syndrome in older men. So researchers are encouraging older men to supplement with testosterone.

Futurepundit (via Instapundit)worries about the evolutionary implications of declining testosterone in older men and that it might be a protective adaptation against diseases like cancer (since hormones, especially testosterone and estrogen can be tumor growth factors). Maybe.

Testosterone, for men, is the defining, healthy hormone just as progesterone, is the defining, healthy hormone for women. For both men and women the ratio of testosterone:estrogen and the ratio of progesterone:estrogen changes as they age. In both cases, estrogen increases proportionally. Part of it is age. Part of it is diet. Part of it is environmental. Estrogens are everywhere in the environment--from plastics to soy. Fat stores and releases estrogen. Estrogen, in and of itself, isn't bad, but it can be problematic when it's in the wrong proportion to testosterone and progesterone.

So, men can supplement with testosterone and women can supplement with progesterone and testosterone, too, for that matter, and this will happen: the body will down-regulate. That is, the body will stop producing as much testosterone and progesterone in response to the supplementation. This happens with all hormones which is why, once a person is on Synthroid, (synthetic thyroid hormone) he or she is on it for life. The body will stop producing it.

Now, there are vegetable-based hormone replacements that are less manipulative of the system and they can give the body a rest to recover, but the ideal is to produce these hormones oneself without the aid of supplementation. The answer to hormone balance is simple, but no one wants to do it because it's certainly not as easy as a supplement:

Lose the fat. Fat produces the estrogens. Lose the fat, the hormone ratio gets better.
Build muscle. Especially lower body muscle. Muscle growth produces testosterone.
Eat right. You know what that means. Everyone knows what that means. Lean protein. Eggs. Veggies. Good fats like butter and olive oil and flax. Skip fast food. Skip soda. Skip fried food. Drink alcohol moderately. Drink coffee moderately. Eat chocolate moderately.
Keep moving. It's not just the muscle, it's the metabolic rate. Aerobic exercise burns off the stress hormones that cause you to accumulate fat in the first place (which stores estrogen). So work up a sweat a couple days a week.
Get some sun. Without Vitamin D, all sorts of bad things happen. Increased bone density helps a person carry more muscle mass which helps increase the metabolic rate. See how these things work together?

Unfortunately, as people age, they become more sedentary which itself creates risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome. I have read articles by doctors who have been on long-term supplementary testosterone themselves, and they seem perfectly healthy. I have had patients (women actually) who have supplemented, short term with testosterone, for weight loss. The usage is going up. People are making experiments of themselves.

I suspect that it will be agreed that testosterone has salubrious effects for men and women short term, but like supplementary estrogen, the long-term effects won't become apparent until after years of use. Manipulating mother nature usually has a downside even if it's not immediately apparent.

What would I recommend to my patients? Well, short term use could be beneficial, but long term, the advice would be the same old boring stuff: lose weight, get fit and eat right.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

What Parents of Special Needs Kids Worry About

2008-06-19T08:54:00.003-06:00

We all hear the stories of sexual abuse, and unfortunately, it happens too often. Parents of autistic children in particular worry about this because the child, if he or she is non-verbal, can't express what happened. So this story (via John Hawkins) is particularly egregious:

Leduc's weird tale began on May 30, when she dropped young Victoria off for class at Terry Fox Elementary and headed in to work, only to receive a frantic phone call from the school telling her it was urgent she come back right away.

The frightened mother rushed back to the campus and was stunned by what she heard - the principal, vice-principal and her daughter's teacher were all waiting for her in the office, telling her they'd received allegations that Victoria had been the victim of sexual abuse - and that the CAS had been notified.

How did they come by such startling knowledge? Leduc was incredulous as they poured out their story.

"The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'"

Victoria, who is non-verbal, had also been exhibiting sexualized behaviour in class, actions which are known to be typical of autistic behavior. (See other typical actions here) That lead authorities to suspect she had a bladder infection that may have somehow been related to the 'attack.'

Leduc was shaken by the idea. "It's actually your worst nightmare your child being violated," she admits. "So for them to even suggest that, and that be my worst nightmare, it was horrific."

So, then, the mother is investigated by CPS, but thankfully she had proof to back herself up. She bought a GPS system that records, non-stop, all sounds around the child because the school had "lost" her child a couple times.

A psychic? You'd be surprised, right, but you've dealt with the public school system or heard the stories, so nothing is shocking. The teacher won't be fired. The assistant teacher won't be fired. The principal won't be fired. The school district won't pay for the education the child needs.

The school district will dedicate its resources to defend against this woman's lawsuit when the same amount of money, or less, could help her child. You see, the policy is to deny, deny, deny, because if they help one child, they'd have to help them all. So no children will get adequately helped, or will get the bare minimum of assistance and it will be couched in ARDs as the "least restrictive environment" which is code for--we don't want to pay. And parents have no choice. They're stuck. Private schools are under no obligation to take on a special needs child. And the private schools that specialize in helping these kids are expensive.

John says, "If we had a voucher system, Colleen Leduc could simply send her kid to a private school that isn't run by complete morons." Well, the money would be a start. Public schools are woefully deficient at dealing with these children. It's a problem nationally. There simply just isn't the training or desire to be trained to deal with children outside the mean.

I've been to continuing ed seminars for teachers dealing with autism. The level of apathy among the teachers was appalling. The parents in attendance, took it all in. In fact, while the teachers ignored the speaker (who happened to be one of the brightest thinkers and a leader in autism education), I was learning and went home and taught my son how to speak that week. The information was good, but you can't teach someone who thinks she knows everything or who just doesn't care.

And out there, there are amazing teachers, wonderful teachers who are underpaid, overworked and unappreciated. That's the problem with public education. A teacher can phone it in or can work and care, she gets paid the same. She can be dull-witted and show zero judgment and still get paid. It's almost impossible for her to get fired.

What a mess. On the word of a stupid assistant teacher's psychic, a woman and her child can be completely traumatized, meanwhile, there's the little problem of the child not being educated.

Why Blog?

2008-06-18T22:10:00.003-06:00

I dunno.....'cuz I wanna?

Well, TigerHawk talks about the friends he's made and I agree. Perhaps the most amazing thing to happen through blogging has been making friends with some of the smartest, kindest, funniest, and most interesting people. It's like being in college and enjoying all the diverse people, minus the buttheads (check that, there's buttheads in the blogosphere, I just don't have to smell them--wait, that sounds really bad) and roommates (actually, I had good roommates, so I can't complain), so it's way better.

Also, I like sharing ideas and honing them, too. People smarter than me correct my stinkin' thinkin' and that makes me smarter--well, a little.

The money generally sucks, but I make my own hours and can work with a toddler sitting on my head which is a bonus.

Do Some'in

2008-06-18T21:37:00.003-06:00

Is that how Brit Brit would spell it? I dunno. Anyway, this oil business can be solved. You can help. Go here and make a "bit" of a difference.

Shoot me now. I've employed way over the limit of puns today. Had to wedge that in there. Darn you, John NOT F. Kerry!

The First Sacrifice On Obama's Altar: Giving Up Impure Thoughts

2008-06-18T19:42:00.005-06:00

Oh, there will be many sacrifices. If the Dems have their way, teensy things like taking over private companies in the oil industry (because it's worked so well for Russia and Venezuela) and socializing medicine will be the new and better way, because the government never f@cks up anything they touch. Nosirreee, the government is super fantastic awesome!

There will be joy at the oil prices because well, middle class people can walk to work or take public transportation, never mind that there isn't transportation in the suburb where they live. Suburbs are suboptimal anyway. I mean, real people live in the cities and don't birth children. It's the lame people's fault for being breeders and being so stupid. Stop having kids and use something besides incandescent bulbs, people. And stop eating cheeseburgers and driving your SUV, pigs. Loving thoughts like that.

So, there will be that. There will be the little thing of saving the world with some sweet, huggy love. It will get even better, though, because it won't be enough to control business, your personal life and your way of life. No, your very thoughts and words will have to comply, friends, because there are good thoughts and there are bad thoughts and bad thoughts and ideas are not acceptable. Jeff Goldstein shares one example of an ideological debate that really isn't about ideas at all, you can go read the details, and concludes:

As progressivism moves forward, free speech will almost surely be murdered on the altar of political correctness — if only because that ploy rids progressives of the messy business of having to deal with what they consider unpleasant and untoward opposition to their ideas.

Which they can only do because they believe their ideas are inherently right and just by virtue of their holding them.

Circular and dangerous, but the state of nature in this, Obama’s America.

Well, it's not Obama's America, yet, but it's disturbing how many freedoms Americans seem willing to give up for the false security progressives promise but have never, since Marx himself, delivered.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

AP: Turnabout Is Fair Play

2008-06-18T09:49:00.003-06:00

So the AP doesn't want bloggers to use their content without paying. Remember when you were in college and wrote a paper and quoted an AP newspaper article and gave credit? That's called fair use and it's not copyright infringement. It's quoting with attribution. Bloggers do this all the time. AP doesn't like it and want to charge bloggers per word. It's hilarious, but they're serious. Seriously stupid.

Michelle Malkin would like to charge AP for using her material without attribution and no link--a serious violation of blogger ethics. You'll notice, that when I quote someone or appreciate their take, I link it. Major newspapers don't seem to feel bound by this same courtesy. They are above the insignificant bloggers but have no problem lifting material. Michelle says:

Ok, let’s play. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course. Unlike the AP, bloggers appreciate getting linked and excerpted. That is how we roll in the 21st century.
But let’s apply AP standards for the hell of it. I have found two recent examples of the AP quoting from this blog without linking to the quoted posts or obtaining my consent for a usage agreement. In April, AP quoted from the comment thread in this post about Absolut’s Aztlan vodka ad:
More than a dozen calls to boycott Absolut were posted on michellemalkin.com, a Web site operated by conservative columnist Michelle Malkin. The ads sparked heated comment on a half-dozen other Internet sites and blogs.
“In an Absolut world, a company that produces vodka fires its entire marketing department in a desperate attempt to win back enraged North American customers after a disastrous ad campaign backfires,” a person using the moniker “SalsaNChips” wrote on Malkin’s Web site.
That’s 42 words. Cha-ching-ching-ching.

The old media is dying and they think this will breath life into them. Ace has a novel solution.

I have a solution: Never again link to the AP, don't read anything from the AP and exclusively read original content on the Web or from writers.

Thong-Induced Injuries Deserves Class Action Status

2008-06-18T07:38:00.003-06:00

Some things are inevitable, you just wonder why it took so long:

As she was attempting to put on a Victoria's Secret thong, a Los Angeles woman claims that a decorative metallic piece flew off the garment and struck her in the eye, causing injuries and a new product liability lawsuit against the underwear giant. Macrida Patterson, 52, alleges that she was hurt last May by a defective "low-rise v-string" from the Victoria's Secret "Sexy Little Thing" line, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. A copy of her June 9 complaint, which does not specify monetary damages, can be found below. Patterson's lawyer, Jason Buccat, told TSG that a "design problem" caused the decorative piece to come loose and strike Patterson in the eye, causing damage to her cornea. He added that the eye injury, which caused Patterson to miss a few days of work, will be "affecting her the rest of her life."

Most women I know have been injured by thongs. Besides the physical damage, there's the humiliation of knowing that she's willfully put a clothing garment in her butt crack ostensibly to avoid a lesser disaster: the dreaded panty lines. Men wouldn't wear a bra. Men wouldn't wear high heels. Men wouldn't wear panty hose. And men certainly wouldn't wear thongs. It's a conspiracy to create a perpetual state of discomfort and misery in the fairer sex.

This lawsuit deserves a lot more attention. Women of the world unite! Bring Victoria's Secret down for being the purveyors of a clothing product that has complete disregard for human health and dignity.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Antipsychotics Up Death In Those With Dementia

2008-06-17T18:45:00.002-06:00

Antipsychotics should be given to psychotic and schizophrenic people. Period:

Antipsychotic drugs aren't specifically approved to treat dementia. They're mainly used to treat patients with schizophrenia. But people with dementia sometimes suffer delusions or hallucinations and may exhibit violent behavior. Doctors may prescribe antipsychotics to control these behaviors.

Are Americans That Stupid?

2008-06-17T13:57:00.006-06:00

Rachel Lucas wants to start a new category on her blog possibly called, “Most People Are Too Stupid To Vote But They Do Anyway So We Are All Going To Die.” I already have a category "We're All Gonna Die", but I usually reserve that for the latest bird flu epidemic, global warming or other bout of unhinged hysteria put forth by the elites aimed at enslaving the masses, so it's kinda related.

Rachel is despondent because most Americans are idiots. Yes, well that can give you a lifelong depression, if you think about to much. There is a solution, though, for the screwballs who think things like this:

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 29% of voters favor nationalizing the oil industry. Just 47% are opposed and 24% are not sure.

Here's my proposal: America should go back to the good old days when only those who own property can vote. If you don't have a vested interest in a piece of property, you just don't have a vested interest.

Also, it would help if a person could read and as some of Rachel's readers suggested, pass a common civics exam. Of course, that would eliminate Obama and his 57 states from voting, too.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Best Emails Yet

2008-06-17T09:50:00.004-06:00

I know I'm not the lone blogger receiving crazy emails. It's part of the territory. The funniest have been from Nazmul. Yesterday, he sent me this request:

Dear Melissa,

Would you please tell me about clothe free or nude society?

Last week he sent this:

Dear Melissa,

My name is Nazmul, I am 19 years old, right now studying Economics in university and I live in Bangladesh (Bangladesh is located in South Asia).Lately I have learned how operate computer as well as internet. I have gotten your e-mail number through searching internet.I shall write some thing to you honestly. When i was in school,the main topic of our conversation among friends was girls,prostitution,nude,pornography.Since my childhood i have been dreaming to go to America.But now it is impossible to visit USA for a boy of third world country.As a doctor would you please tell me about prostitution,pornography,nude society,child pornography illicit relationship between boys and girls?Hope you will reply to my e-mail.g. Good bye.

I didn't respond to these emails. But I'm tempted to say that in America, people don't wear clothes. People have sex all the time. The only reason for the internet is really good porn. Prostitution is a right confirmed by the constitution. And boys and girls get their sexual education from public school teachers.

Come to America, Nazmul. You'll love our nude society. I would say he has a skewed perspective of America, but, really, who are we kidding?

Poor Rocco

2008-06-17T07:36:00.003-06:00

Rocco knew it. The other competitors knew it. When, Tiger Woods sank that put, rimming it, on the 18th hole of the U.S. Open on Sunday, everyone knew it: Game over. Tiger just won, now it was a formality (of winning 18 more holes and a tie-breaker for good measure.) But, it was over.

What an incredible athlete. What a champion. What a demonstration of mental strength. Don't bet against Tiger. You'll lose.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Pro-Life Pharmacies

2008-06-16T20:34:00.003-06:00

It might be legal, but is it right? In answering the question for themselves, some pharmacists have refused to fill prescriptions of birth control pills or morning after pills. I am really torn about this whole thing, actually. While I'm all for people not violating their consciences, I just think there are better ways to deal with this than refusing service. For a pharmacist who doesn't want to fill a morning after pill prescription, why can't he just have his co-worker do it? Why the need to lecture the woman?

This whole issue brings to mind the Muslim taxi drivers refusing to pick up someone who has been drinking, is drinking, or carrying alcohol or others not taking seeing eye dogs. It's legal. If they don't like to pick up all people, even those they disagree with, pick another freaking profession. My sentiments go the same direction about persnickity pharmacists.

However, it seems to me that an Ob/Gyn is well within his or her rights to refuse to perform an abortion. In fact, few people get the specialized training for them, so forcing a doctor to do this procedure could, in fact, be harmful to the woman wanting one.

The free market has a solution--pro-life pharmacies:

When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away.

That's because the drugstore, located in a typical shopping plaza featuring a Ruby Tuesday, a Papa John's and a Kmart, will be a "pro-life pharmacy" -- meaning, among other things, that it will eschew all contraceptives.

So, pharmacists who work here can work with a free conscience. Hmmmm..... I seem to remember Catholic hospitals being forced to dispense certain drugs and perform certain procedures, including abortions. In fact, a Catholic hospital in Colorado was sued by a "transgender" woman for not allowing the surgery and the hospital eventually relented. That just happened in March. This seems to violate the separation of church and state, but then, the hospital isn't a church, per se. It's a charity.

A pharmacy is a private business so they can do whatever they want, right? Substitute people seeking birth control drugs, for say, HIV drugs. Say the pharmacy decides to not sell cholesterol lowering drugs because fat people aren't "honoring the temple". Really, many medications are needed because of some stupid lifestyle choice. Stopping at the sexual vices seems rather limiting.

What do you think?

A Story Of Preemies

2008-06-16T19:51:00.003-06:00

I thought I'd share this story with you guys. Eleven years ago this week, my premature twin boys were born. They were born at 24 weeks gestation. My surviving son is a testament to the miracles of modern technology and to miracles, period. I am thankful to God and I'm thankful to the doctors who take up this noble profession.

Obama and Absent Fathers

2008-06-16T08:32:00.003-06:00

So, Barack Obama gave a resounding sermon, in a church (not Jeremiah Wright's), on Father's Day Sunday about the importance of fathers. The black community suffers disproportionately with fatherlessness and the results of this cultural phenomenon manifest many, many social ills from crime, to drug use, to drop-out rates, to incarceration, to teenage pregnancy etc. It's a mess. Obama's speech included some gems:

“Don’t get carried away with that eighth-grade graduation,” he said, bringing many members of the congregation to their feet, applauding. “You’re supposed to graduate from eighth grade.”
His themes have been also been sounded by the comedian Bill Cosby, who has stirred debate among black Americans by bluntly speaking about an epidemic of fatherless African-American families while suggesting that some blacks use racism as a crutch to explain lack of economic progress.

John Hawkins quips, "Clap, clap, clap. I guess, even a blind squirrel grabs a nut every once in a while...". But earlier Hawkins called the speech "spot on". Well, the speech might have been spot on, but it's the actions of the candidate that matter most and I'm not thrilled with how Obama proposes to solve the problem that has been a scourge in the community:

On Friday, Mr. Obama announced that he would be a co-sponsor of a bill with Senator Evan Bayh, Democrat of Indiana, that his campaign said would address the “national epidemic of absentee fathers.” If passed, the legislation would increase the enforcement of child support payments and strengthen domestic violence prevention services.
Mr. Obama cited the need for stronger law enforcement services and resources for education, more job opportunities and other resources for communities.

Laws already exist to encourage enforcement of child support. Laws already exist to address domestic violence. How does any of this get men back with their families? Obama was in a church, after all. He could have spoken about the moral failings of the community, because surely, that's what's lacking.

The cycle is vicious. Part of the problem is a simply a lack of supervision. Children have a working mom, come home to an empty house. They are hungry and lonely. They eat junk and they seek comfort. A girl gets pregnant too young. Now we can talk about birth control, but even if it's being used, a 16 year old girl is extraordinarily fertile, so any slip up will likely result in a baby. She has to choose between abortion or a child. She will be making a life-changing decision either way. If she chooses to have the child, she will likely not be in the position to marry. She's in High School. The father is probably a boy, too. How will he support her? What does he have to offer at that point? And then, he's going to go work, make minimum wage and the government is going to come after him?

Reversing the problem means finding an adequate substitute for the lack of a father now, in this generation. The hopelessness and loneliness, the lack of discipline and structure when the mother is gone, needs to be filled somehow. The government is woefully inadequate at finding solutions that require, essentially, love. Churches, though, are really good at this. The problem, I'm wondering at, is whether the mothers want their children to hear that premarital sex is a moral failure. It will indict them.

When pastors like Jeremiah Wright externalize blame on the government and white people generally, the congregants feel better but don't look within. But the fact is, the problems within the family both black and white are moral in nature and won't be solved by blaming someone else. Only when women and men take responsibility will things get better, but personal responsibility isn't a very sexy message.

Enforcing child support may ease the difficulty of daily lives for the women trying to raise children. Just paying for child care straps single mothers who have to work to pay for food and shelter. Still, it doesn't solve the underlying problem. Will liberals start sharing the uncomfortable message of abstinence, personal responsibility, self-sacrifice, delaying gratification, etc.? Somehow I doubt it. It goes against all their ideals, and actually runs directly counter to their policies of intervening so a person doesn't have to deal with the consequences of bad decisions. The liberal message is all about self-gratification and indulgence.

As usual, Obama's words are pretty, but his actions are the same old same old.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T17:30:00.002-06:00

I hope you and yours had a day to remember.

Cell Phone Addiction In Children

2008-06-13T14:45:00.003-06:00

So, this conversation happened at the dinner table a few days ago:

Daughter 8: Mom, I want a cell phone.

Me: No

Daughter: Everyone has a cell phone! [Head collapses into arms, dramatic weeping.]

Me: [Laughing] No, you are not crying about not having a cell phone. Who? Who has a cellphone?

Daughter: Lots of people.

Me: Who? And how old are they?

Daughter: [Face squirreled up, more tears] You're mean!

Me: You have no idea how mean. Just wait!

I might have peeved tween but at least I don't have an addicted adolescent. What. In. The. Hell?

They were brought in after spending an average of six hours a day on their phones, talking, texting or playing games.

Their parents became concerned that the children, aged 12 and 13, were unable to carry out normal activities without their handsets. They were failing at school and deceiving relatives in an attempt to obtain more money for phone cards.

This makes me think of that Star Trek episode where everyone got addicted to that alternative reality game. Yes, I'm that big of a nerd.

Really, I think parents should just give up and give in....it's all over. Why even try to fight it?

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Tornado

2008-06-13T14:22:00.003-06:00

Mother nature big, mankind small.

Tim Russert Dead At 58

2008-06-13T13:28:00.005-06:00

Wanted to pass along this sad news: Tim Russert collapsed at work and later died from cardiac arrest. I'm so sorry for his family. Life, even a long one, is short. He was 58 years old.

A quick note--Tim Russert always struck me as fair-minded and incisive. He seemed to be one of the few sensible journalists. He will be missed.

Cross posted at Right Wing News

Right Wing Sparkle Ain't Like Most Girls

2008-06-12T19:35:00.002-06:00

Neither am I, Sparkle. Holy crap! I'm so not like most women, I think I might be a ...... oh, never mind.

Sadr City Celebrates American Presence

2008-06-12T10:17:00.002-06:00

Iraqis in Sadr City celebrate the Americans and there are pictures to prove it. Some corners of the dark world are seeing light again and that's good news.

Family Of Austrian Freak Recovers

2008-06-12T10:07:00.003-06:00

The daughter who had been put in a coma and was the reason why the secret family was discovered in the first place, emerged from her coma this week. The family adjusts to their new reality which includes gazing at clouds through protective sunglasses--as their eyes and minds become accommodated to the wide world.

Shoot Mugabe Now

2008-06-12T08:26:00.003-06:00

Can we just dispense with the formality of civil society and rid the world of this animal? This is what it means to be the political opposition in Zimbabwe:

The men who pulled up in three white pickup trucks were looking for Patson Chipiro, head of the Zimbabwean opposition party in Mhondoro district. His wife, Dadirai, told them he was in Harare but would be back later in the day, and the men departed.

An hour later they were back. They grabbed Mrs Chipiro and chopped off one of her hands and both her feet. Then they threw her into her hut, locked the door and threw a petrol bomb through the window.

And a four year old niece saw it all. Mrs. Chipiro's husband, when he returned and after trying to put out the fire of his torched homes, went to the police, who falsified a report before rewriting it to say this:

The report said that seven men assaulted Mrs Chipiro “before dragging her in one of the houses and set all three houses on fire”. It said that the body showed “signs of assault since all hands and legs were broken”. The doctor who carried out the post-mortem described the cause of death as haemorrhaging and severe burns. “These youths are taught cruelty,” Mr Chipiro said. “They get used to murdering. They enjoy murdering. They are doing it for money.”

The people in Zimbabwe suffer. They starve. The seized farms no longer produce. Publications like The New Black Magazine ponder a false premise: what would be better now for Zimbabwe--Mugabe or Smith? How about this? Both are bad, and Mugabe is bad, now, and the Zimbabweans today deserve better than either of them.

Most of the world lives under different forms of tyranny. Burma (Myanmar) suffers at the hands of the Junta. 120, 000 people have died there. More will starve. Try doing business in Russia. Or, try having a sense of humor there. Try being free in China or being a neighbor of China. Try speaking your mind in Canada or Great Britain. Try saying offensive words in France.

America is rare in the world. Freedom, and the rule of law it is based upon, is rare and needs to be protected. It is a quick slide into tyranny and misery. Hugo Chavez demonstrates just how quickly a country can be unmade.

I sit here horrified at the oppressors of the world like Mugabe. Limb chopping and being burned alive in 2008.... it boggles the mind. What should America do? We watch and hopefully, learn, what it means to be free. Intervention would serve America's national interest... No it wouldn't. I know. I know. I would still like Mugabe shot. Now.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Michelle Obama's Baby's Daddy

2008-06-12T07:30:00.004-06:00

There's a big stink because Fox News ran a segment about Michelle Obama and the caption included the words "Barack Obama's Baby Mama". One could argue that the phrase further dumbs down the American language and is a racial epithet unsuitable for prime time. Or, one could argue that the hip hop culture has come to define at least part of the culture at large and embrace the language. Or, one could do either depending on the circumstances.

Michelle Obama used the term "baby daddy" to introduce her husband, so clearly she does not find the language offensive. I'm guessing that increases her cred on the street, yo. Or, maybe it's just a fun, light hearted thing to say. Wait, I think it might be the latter.

However, is it wrong for others to describe Ms. Obama as Barack's "baby Mama"? Is baby Mama like the "N" word, only appropriate in the black man's mouth? (Which I disagree with, by the way--to me the "N" word is offensive no matter who uses it, but anyone who wants to use it can.) Firedog Lake is characteristically hysterical,"2008: She's well-educated, a lawyer, and a black woman -- unleash the hounds!" Is saying "baby Mama" unleashing the hounds?

Now, I'll grant you, that no one is probably going to describe McCain's wife Cindy as a "baby Mama", but I doubt you'll hear Cindy McCain introduce her husband as her "baby's Daddy". She knows how silly it would sound coming from the potential future president's wife's mouth. Oh wait......

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Democrats Just Say No To Drilling

2008-06-11T20:49:00.003-06:00

Because it's a good thing to put $99 of gas in your truck (which I did yesterday). And Obama thinks a gradual increase would have been better. This is awesomeness! Speak it, Barry! High gas prices are just what the Dems want. If the economy can go in the shitter, more the better. If people are absolutely miserable, while the planet gets saved even better than better. And if people give up their modern way of life: Hallelujah! Praise Gaia!

Best of all: If America ceases to exist as a super power and the rest of the world crumbles because Americans stop consuming, heaven will have been created on earth. Thanks Democrats! Our lives suck shit but at least the barren tundra of Alaska is pristine.

Oh, and McCain is stupid about this, too.

When Speech Ain't Free

2008-06-11T19:51:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to draw your attention to a worthwhile post by The Anchoress about free speech. It seems some elites think America should be more like Europe. I know, shocking. Don't you just wait for the day when some knobby headed freak from an Ivy League school says that Europe should be more like America? Yeah, right. That will happen. NOT!

Anyway, here's a teaser paragraph (okay, two) from The Anchoress:

Hurt feelings are the price of freedom, and I’d rather have 50 emails calling me all sorts of names because of my Christianity or my classically liberal politics (some call it “conservatism,” but then again today’s “conservatives,” used to be called “liberals,” and today’s “liberals” used to be called “socialists”, so deal) or because of my stance on any given issue, than have everyone moving about the country in a silent agony of self-censorship and repression.

Free speech is part of what makes America great, and singular. It is what leaves America unbent when the rest of the world is cowering. Americans will die for freedom - for the freedom to say what they like, be who they are and to bend the knee only if they choose to do so, and then (usually) before no one but the Creator.

I tried to explain the concept of bowing to no man to my children. They had a hard time understanding why someone would rather die than be a slave. It was a tough sell that to not be free, was to not have life.

In some ways, liberals are perpetual children. As long as they can be the playground police, and can ensure everyone is "nice", they're happy. They never consider how their behavior isn't nice to others. Too much niceness is its own tyranny.

More Vegan Stupidity

2008-06-11T19:13:00.003-06:00

Children need protein. Children need minerals. Children need fat. Children need the nutrition in fat and protein. Parents who feed their babies vegan diets are worse than ignorant, they're abusive.

Van Helsing at Moonbattery notes the latest example, of, well, moonbattery:

The youngster, fed on a strict meat- and dairy-free diet from birth, is being treated at the city’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children. She is said to have a severe form of rickets and to have suffered a number of fractured bones. The condition is caused by a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium and is found in liver, oily fish and dairy produce.
Dr Faisal Ahmed, the consultant treating the child, said he believed the dangers of forcing children to follow a strict vegan diet needed to be highlighted. “Something like this needs publicity,” he said. However, he refused to blame the parents, who are understood to be well-known figures in Glasgow’s vegan community: “We shouldn’t name and shame \. Mum feels guilty about the whole thing and feels bad about it.”

Aw, mum feels guilty. Does she? Guilty enough to give up her religion? A lifetime of proper nutrition for her daughter will not compensate for her daughter's health today. Because of her long-term Vitamin D deficiency, her daughter is at risk for:

Colon cancer
Impaired neurological and cognitive development
Osteoporosis (duh)
Anemia
Breast cancer
Heart disease (?), new research
Inflammatory bowel disease
Crohns disease
Hypertension

The list goes on and on. And no amount of health building now will make it right for this girl as she grows into womanhood. Her mom feels guilty? Her daughter may never be able to have children. She wasn't just being stupid about her own health, but the health of her daughter's. I think she should feel guilty from behind bars.

Hymen Re-Creation: An Act of Liberation or Oppression?

2008-06-11T10:39:00.003-06:00

So, you're a Western girl, which is to say, that you're one of the 90% of girls who isn't a virgin when they get married. Only problem is that you're going to the altar with Mohammed, who lost his virginity a few years back too, but against all logic, wants to have one of the 10% of Western Muslim girls who is still a virgin (that number is probably higher, this is for the sake of argument). He wants proof. He wants blood. And the courts in France, when he doesn't get what he wants on the wedding night, he gets an annulment and the court gives it to him:

The furor followed the revelation two weeks ago that a court in the northern city of Lille had annulled the 2006 marriage of two French Muslims after the groom discovered his bride was not the virgin she had claimed to be.

The domestic saga has gripped the nation. The bridegroom, an unidentified engineer in his 30s, left the nuptial bed and announced to the still-partying wedding guests that his bride had lied about her past. She was delivered that night to her parents' doorstep.

The next day, he asked a lawyer to annul the marriage. The bride, then a nursing student in her 20s, confessed the truth to the court and agreed to an annulment.

In its ruling, there was no mention of religion. Rather, it cited breach of contract, concluding that he had married her after "she was presented to him as single and chaste."

No mention of religion, but it's all about religion: specifically the misogyny and lower-class status of women in the Muslim religion. Her only value is sexual and as a uterus willing to produce fruit from an unsullied garden. And of course, should the woman be involved with a more strident believer, her very life is at stake:

Surgeons who perform the procedure said they were empowering their patients by giving them a viable future and preventing them from being abused - or even killed - by their fathers or brothers.

"Who am I to judge?" asked Marc Abecassis, the plastic surgeon who restored the Montpellier student's hymen. "I have colleagues in the United States whose patients do this as a Valentine's present to their husbands. What I do is different. This is not for amusement. My patients don't have a choice if they want to find serenity - and husbands."

A specialist in what he calls "intimate" surgery, including penile enhancement, Abecassis says he performs two to four hymen restorations a week.

So, Muslim women cannot stand for themselves and secular, French law won't stand for them either.

It is politically incorrect to say that the practitioners of Islam are close-minded, double-standard wielding throw-backs. This, to me, is not about extolling the benefits of virginity, which, I fully support. This is about parity and freedom and equality for all people no matter their gender.

This case highlights the fact that the European Muslims don't assimilate. They don't participate fully in the culture (and in France, there are many reasons for this). They are like welfare sucking, violent Amish except they inhabit the cities. The backwardness is extreme even by Amish standards and yet Western elites in this century can, with a straight face, speak of liberating women by recreating hymens.

The whole of Western culture is being oppressed to satisfy a Muslim man's insecurity. I call bullshit.

H/T Rorschach

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

The NBA's Culture of Corruption

2008-06-11T00:24:00.000-06:00

Remember when that NBA referee got nailed for attempting to change the game's outcome? Back then, I wrote in a post titled Tim Donaghy Did Not Act Alone:

Let me make a few predictions:
Tim Donaghy did not act alone. It is nearly impossible for one ref to destroy the flow of a game.
Many big games have been manipulated.
The NBA is in huge trouble.
When this first happened, I told my husband that this guy was not alone. No. Way. Impossible. That games could be rigged or manipulated by refs didn't surprise me at all. So many games have seemed intentionally blown by refs that it was just a finally, there's some proof.

I had always assumed that the conspiracy came from Commissioner David Stern with advice to refs like "keep it close" or "be kind to the home team in the last few minutes". Wink. Wink. The consistently crappy calls were so infuriating, the players lackadaisically phoning it in so pathetic, I quit watching the NBA even though I love basketball. But there's no teams today like the old LA Lakers or Detroit Pistons or Boston Celtics or the Bulls before Jordan's and Pippen's heads expanded to fill every stadium they entered.

Well, it's been a year, almost exactly and wonder of wonders Donaghy is saying that he didn't act alone. This at ESPN:

The letter also details an incident in the 2002 playoffs in which Donaghy alleges that two referees, who were known as NBA "company men," wanted to extend a series to seven games. "Team 5" could have wrapped up the series in Game 6 but saw two players foul out, lost the game and ultimately the series.

Donaghy faces 33 months in prison for his part. And of course his felon status will call into question his testimony against anyone else. The rest of the league owners, refs and commissioner David Stern will all deny.

The NBA makes money by playing more games. Everyone knows this. If a series can go to seven games, it's a benefit to everyone except the people who care about the integrity of the game. I think that ball has been dunked. The NBA has no integrity. Watch it with all the enthusiasm of professional wrestling, the outcomes are as valid.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

A Birthday Gift To Remember

2008-06-10T08:51:00.004-06:00

So after years of a sexless marriage, a wife provided a novel solution, and later, wrote about it:

Charla apparently had no intention of writing about “the gift,” as she euphemistically refers to it. She was simply a homemaker and marketing consultant, who in 2006 wanted to give her husband a special 40th birthday present.
“This is something no one else would give him,” she said in an interview. “It didn’t cost a lot of money. It was highly memorable. It met all the criteria for a really great gift.”
Brad was less than fully enthusiastic, mostly because, he says, his wife often has big ideas and poor follow-through. After all, she hadn’t been especially generous in that department since they’d had their two children. He paid closer attention when he realized that she was serious.

The gift was sex every day for a year. Another couple made a pledge to do it for 101 days straight.

The couples did "hit the wall" at some point. And when it was over, did they continue their marathon ways? Not exactly:

Today, the Browns report they have sex approximately six times a month, or double their frequency before their adventure. The Mullers decline to discuss their habits, except to say that they fall well within the national average. And, Brad said, the sex is better. “It made it much easier to be open to the idea, more spontaneous,” he said, “So you don’t go back to that always gaming for it and always trying to get out of it.”

Married couples know that sexual needs don't always get met, but it seems that it's also possible to have too much of a good thing. So that makes me wonder, what is the "ideal" for the average coupled person?

New York Times: Viva Chavez!

2008-06-10T07:19:00.003-06:00

How do these people take themselves seriously? It's like these liberal reporters try to find the stupidest notion that directly opposes common sense and then expound on it for the dull-witted masses. Today, at the scholars feet, we learn about Hugo Chavez's democratic impulses. Here are the words Simon Romero of the New York Times uses to describe Chavez:

self-reinvention
incredible political instincts
gambler

The tone of the article could be described as effusive. In the last paragraph, the effects of Chavez's policies are touched upon:

Indeed, the national temperament is now much less buoyant than in December 2006, when voters re-elected Mr. Chávez to a six-year term, and his handlers may have recognized the shift. Despite record oil prices, economic growth is slowing and inflation is soaring. The nationalization of telephone, electricity, oil and steel companies has scared off foreign investment. While shortages of some items have eased, many basic food items remain in short supply.

Sounds like a socialist paradise. And then, there's the little detail of Chavez's funding and supporting terrorists, which gets skeptical mention in the last paragraphs. The FARC funding is alleged. Right.

The writers must get bored with reporting the facts when the facts don't suit them. Chavez is the most recent example of the failure of the socialist ideology. Don't tell the media types that, it doesn't fit the narrative.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

What Is Wrong With Steve Jobs?

2008-06-09T21:07:00.002-06:00

I have no information about anything, but if I didn't know better, I'd say Steve Jobs has cancer. He looks absolutely terrible. He's dropped a serious amount of weight.

Does Apple have their succession planning lined up? It's been a problem for them, since Jobs returned. Who will steer the Apple ship sans Jobs? No one knows. Anyway, it was so alarming, I just had to note it.

By the way, I'm so excited about the new iPhone. I want one! Of course, I have the old iPhone which works perfectly well. Just greedy.

Casualties of the Sexual Revolution: 1/5 People Have Herpes

2008-06-09T14:39:00.002-06:00

Over 1/4 adults in New York City have herpes. Now, I have a serious question to ask everyone: Do you feel that the removal of restrictions on sexual mores since feminism and The Pill liberated women, has been worth the trade off of STD rates and abortion (check out this chart since Roe v. Wade)? (Never mind mental health issues.)

Before answering too quickly, I'm figuring you're an average male or female. In which case, you've had approximately 8 partners for men, a little less for women (and the men report more partners because they go to prostitutes--hi Eliot). Give or take..... Do you regret your couplings? Would you rather not have had sex with these people? And would your opinion change if you ended up with a permanent scourge like herpes or like Obama said, a baby?

It seems to me that one of the reasons we're getting more moderate Republican leaders is because many Americans, while conservative in their ideals, are more liberal in their actions. That's why I believe abortion will be legal for a long time in most states even should Roe be overturned and why STDs will continue to plague people. People profess to believe in chastity before marriage, even conservative Christians, but few actually believe it enough to practice it.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News.

Obama In His Own Words

2008-06-09T13:29:00.002-06:00

You need to watch this video:

Is Obama racist? You decide.

H/T John Hawkins

Obama's Candidacy Is A Win For Liberals Even If He Loses

2008-06-09T06:49:00.005-06:00

According to liberals, the only reason a man so great as Obama could possibly lose is because he's black and Americans are racist. What a convenient belief. If Obama loses, Americans will hear for the next twenty years about their racism and badness. His loss would be further proof of America's evil. If Obama wins, America will hear about the perfection and lightness of Obama's being. His greatness will make America great.

I found this over at Ebonypolitics:

In America, Barack Obama can be a lot of things: a law professor, a state senator, a United States Senator and a presidential candidate, but one thing he can not be is white, and that is what might stop him from becoming president.

So, if he loses, it's America's fault. If he wins, it's because he's a Savior. It's a win-win for Liberals who cling to identity politics like a baby blanket. An Obama loss would be fuel for their discontent for years.

I'd like to put forth the notion to our liberal brethren that Barack Obama might lose not because of the color of his skin, but the content of his character, content of his socialist philosophy, and the lack of content of his resumé. Maybe liberals could also consider that Americans will choose the next president based on who they think is best for America.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News.

Obama Campaign: "The Israeli Connection to 9/11"--UPDATED

2008-06-08T16:02:00.003-06:00

You have got to be kidding me. More at LGF. The link magically disappeared. Thankfully Charles got it before it was gone.

Update:

Jim Hoft has more of Obama's Jew-hate. The Jews are corrupting politics, according to Obama's website. This is just lovely. I would be very worried to be Jewish and have Barack Obama as president.

"I'm not totally sure we can"

2008-06-08T15:42:00.002-06:00

Brendan has the whole funny quote. For the record, I'm pretty sure Obama can't, but time will tell.

Hangin' With The Locals

2008-06-08T14:51:00.003-06:00

So, yesterday afternoon, I joined some Houston bloggers at a bar downtown. I have pictures and when I download them, I'll add them later. In the mean time, find out what's up with Houston (I live here and don't have much of a clue, which is kinda pathetic).

Kevin Whited blogs at blogHOUSTON and his lovely wife Callie Markantonis was with him.

An anonymous guy (who I actually met and know his name, I could tell you but, well, you know...) blogs at Red Ink: Texas.

And Cory Crow who is exactly middle of the road politically blogs at Lose an Eye. I didn't tell him that's the best place to get hit, but he seemed healthy enough.

I missed Mike Bramanti of Lonestar Times, but hopefully I will see him next time.

The wine was great and so was the whine!

Guantanamo Military Tribunals: Bush Reviving al Qaeda According To Tim Rutten

2008-06-07T07:09:00.004-06:00

Here we go. The trials for those accused of plotting 9/11 and other terrorist acts began last week. They are military tribunals and the rat scum who committed the crimes are doing the things one would suspect a terrorist to do--like claim mental illness, decline counsel in hopes that the trial will be null and void, and generally acting persecuted. For all their plots and planning, turns out these jerks rather like life and want to prolong this process. If they can garner sympathy and can make themselves look like a martyr, they'll do it.

Enter liberals. I love this headline "Just as Al Qaeda is falling apart, Bush's terrorist tribunals are reviving it." It goes with the equally inane editorial by Tim Rutten of the LA Times. Consider this:

It's a sad but salutary thing to recall that number and that terrible day. The consolations of legal justice never can be complete, but they're all we as a society have to offer the injured and the grieving. That's why, when it comes to the handling of these cases, the Bush administration's willful overreaching, contempt for fundamental American values and defiance of basic American notions of due process have set the stage for travesty and further tragedy.

Presidents Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt used military tribunals. Did they demonstrate "contempt for fundamental American values?"

The tragedy that the press currently endures is not having complete, unfettered access to the courtroom. Another tragedy: the press isn't being allowed to hear every word of testimony to achieve precisely the ends Rutten claims to want to avoid--inflaming the " fanatic-infested backwaters across the Islamic world." You see, the government knows that the press doesn't mind inflaming the idiots in these backwaters. So, to prevent that happening, they will blank out words and phrases used by the terrorists that would be used to stoke and inflame those who would definitely hear it from guys like Rutten.

Here are some of the ways the press has done it's part to help "calm" those backwaters:

Editing the President's comments about Iraq and "civil war"--May 19

Remember the flushing the Koran story that was totally bogus?

How about the rush to judgment and broadcasting the Haditha marines story? Real story here.

That's just three stories I can think of off the top of my head. Any lie, distortion or piece of sensitive information spouted by one of these bastards would be presented as absolute fact by the likes of Rutten, turning the trial into a big propaganda enterprise for al Qaeda, just what Rutten claims Bush is doing.

This trial will end one of two ways--life in prison or execution. I hope for the latter. Like the hanging of Saddam Hussein, the enemy understands nothing except complete and total domination. What Rutten ignores is the mind of the enemy where everything is "en Shallah" or "God willing". Should these guys end up at the end of a noose, it must be God's will. It will be further demoralizing and humiliating. They will have died helplessly, ignominiously and worthlessly revealing the al Qaeda way for the dead end it is.

As an aside, Rutten ignores the massive resources, also known as tax dollars, that would go into housing these guys in American prisons and pushing them through the American legal system. Americans do not want that. As an American citizen, I don't really care what those in the backwaters think, feel or believe about our legal system and military choices. I rather like the notion that terrorists would worry about being snagged as an enemy. Americans might be nice as prison guards, but American justice needs to be viewed as strong. Part of the reason these yahoos think they have a chance against the "Great Satan" is they think we're weak.

If America is weak, what does that make the terrorist being sent to meet Allah by the American? Super double weak. The message will be uncomfortable for would-be terrorists to receive. Good.

Airline Fat Fees

2008-06-06T18:45:00.004-06:00

Watch out obese, corpulent, fatties, your airplane tickets are going to be more expensive. Yes, everyone is going to be paying more, but fat people, they are going be paying bigger prices to go with their bigger bodies. Well, this all might happen. Or, people might be weighed with their luggage and pay a collective price.

As if the whole process of boarding a stinky, germ-infested airborne cattle car isn't degrading enough, you'll be weighed like, well, a cow. And if you're fat, like a fat cow. Now here is what I'm picturing: You schlep to the airport two hours early, you drag your luggage, you go to check in with the irritated masses, you finally get to the check-in counter. The attendant sizes your rotund body up, sizes your bulging luggage up and says: Miss, please get your lard ass on the scale with your luggage. That will be $75 extra--$2 for every extra pound over the limit.

After that humiliation, you take your paunchy rear to the security line. Barely making eye-contact, the security officer with the GED and surly attitude thinks you're shady and says, "Miss, please stand your blond haired, blue-eyed body in front of the scanner, we are going to look at your person and check for parts of bomb-making material and we'd really like to X-ray you. Stand right here. Thank you. Hey Squid, come take a look at these....ju..., I mean bottles." After being searched, partially disrobed and man-handled, you'll be free to get on the plane where you will be wedged into your narrow middle seat in complete physical and psychological pain.

What's your opinion?

It's My Property, I Can Do What I Want To

2008-06-05T16:05:00.003-06:00

Oh boy, some dude over at Kim's place is bitching because he has to get a permit to put in a pool in his yard and no blankety-blank government should interfere with what is happening on his property. Well, it's an interesting argument. Houston is rather notorious for it's lack of building codes. In fact, buying homes outside of certain communities can put a person in a precarious living situation. The downside is possible death by burning due to faulty wiring, foundation shifting and building collapse, or drowning due to flooding. Well, that last one is less likely because there are no basements. Most likely, everything and everyone will just get really wet.

I live in a planned community where there are codes and rules. Out of state friends have snorted in derision at my snobbiness and then I point out that I know people who live in the country and down the street from their lovely five acres, a land-fill is going in. Nice. Oh, and next door, their neighbors have their toilet plumbed to a hole in the ground. That tends to knock the edges off a person's home value.

On the upside, housing in Houston is cheaper and Houston is not suffering the disastrous loss in home values that other places are experiencing.

In heavily restricted states and cities, like in New York, for example, it could be argued that the tight codes have contributed to inflated home prices. This article is from 1999 but the principles still hold:

Another recent report examined why prices are so high. Conducted by New York University for the city and the New York City Partnership, it found that because of corruption, outdated regulations and higher labor and material costs, residential construction in the five boroughs is the most expensive in America. Those hurdles stop many projects, further squeezing the market and driving up prices.

This study said the city can spur housing development by revising building codes and zoning regulations and by freeing up more city-owned land. The city also could waive or reduce permit fees for new projects and revise the tax structure so vacant land is taxed at a higher rate, while providing breaks for new multifamily housing.

Somewhere between safety and responsibility to the next owner and freedom to what you damn well please, there's a balance.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Waterboarding....
	Is justifiable to save civilization.
	Destroys civilization by destroying the principles upon which it's built.

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Destroying embryos is okay in order to have a healthy baby:
	Agree
	Disagree

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Now that the Democratic primary is over, I'm spending .....
	more time looking at political blogs
	less time looking at politcal blogs
	about the same amount of time looking at political blogs

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The PRIMARY reason the pregnancy pact happened is because:
	The girls lacked love
	Peer pressure
	Little supervision
	Oversexed culture
	Teenagers are stupid
	The girls lacked a moral foundation
	Media's glorification of sex

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Pharmacies should be able to withhold medication they find objectionable:
	Agree
	Disagree

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The ideal rate of conjugal relations is:
	Every day
	Five times a week
	Three times a week
	Twice a week
	Once a week
	Once every other week
	Once a month
	Quarterly
	Annually

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Should airlines charge by passenger weight?
	Yes
	Yes, but only if luggage is weighed with them
	No

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