New York Without Giuliani and With Stupid Priorities

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

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

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.

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
pollcode.com free polls

Cross-posted at Right Wing News

Obama's Grandiosity

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.

Conservatives More Honest Than Liberals

And research dollars needed to be spent to learn this:

The World Values Survey found that those on the left were also much more likely to say it is OK to buy goods that you know are stolen. Studies have also found that those on the left were more likely to say it was OK to drink a can of soda in a store without paying for it and to avoid the truth while negotiating the price of a car.

Liberals: Cheating on taxes? Great! Plagiarizing? Absolutely! Doing something wrong and covering it up? No problem!

So why would liberals be less honest than conservatives?

The honesty gap is also not a result of “bad people” becoming liberals and “good people” becoming conservatives. In my mind, a more likely explanation is bad ideas. Modern liberalism is infused with idea that truth is relative. Surveys consistently show this. And if truth is relative, it also must follow that honesty is subjective.

Sixties organizer Saul Alinsky, who both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say inspired and influenced them, once said the effective political advocate “doesn’t have a fixed truth; truth to him is relative and changing, everything to him is relative and changing. He is a political relativist.”

During this political season, honesty is often in short supply. But at least we can improve things by accepting the idea that truth and honesty exist. As the late scholar Sidney Hook put it, “the easiest rationalization for the refusal to seek the truth is the denial that truth exists.”

The only objective reality is a liberal's own reality. That leaves room for all sorts of bad behavior.

H/T John Hawkins

"Canada's Negro Queen"

Interesting contrast to America's half-Negro would-be king.

Intestinal cramping interferes with intellectual reasoning

I am so irritated with Firefox, I could spit. I don't feel well, I was putting together a decent post for you guys and it was just flushed down the internet black hole. In some parallel universe there is a post that was destined for greatness (well at least mediocrity) and it's gone.

Want to laugh? Go look at Rachel Lucas' dog. Dog humiliation has never made me laugh so hard.

Gas prices are up, buy a scooter. I have a scooter story, but it's humiliating and I already feel sick.

Hillary might be a redneck drinker after all. No wonder she's so popular in the holler.

I never thought Al Franken was funny, but imagining Minnesota Democrats ponder Franken's senatorial candidacy is funny.

More white hate at Obama's church. Racism, the gift that just keeps on giving. And Obama is going to usher in a post-racial world. Right.

Links of good stuff here. I'm going to bed.

One Tough Son of A .....

The last election cycle here in Texas included incessant "one tough grandma" advertisements by Carol Keyton Strayhorn. She was going to "clean up Texas" and "take on the insiders". Her voice was so grating and her message so superficially disingenuous that I thought to myself that woman is not getting my vote no matter what. From the things I read and from the the things she said, Strayhorn just seemed to be a troublemaker. She seemed to be working to craft a "character". And in fact, she did run for Governor based on her "one tough grandma" persona.

I don't know Texas political history, I've only been here 11 years, but it turns out that the old adage "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is true. Scott McClellan is Strayhorn's son. I guess disloyalty and opportunism is a family trait.



Glenn Reynolds quotes Mark Twain regarding McClellan, "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man." I'm guessing the problem is even worse when the man sees himself as pleasantly plump.

Democrats Admit To Lying About Iraq

It's kinda shocking since Democrats don't usually lie.

We're Entering The Wilderness

Yesterday, I read John Hawkin's interview with the anonymous campaign staffer. The more I read, the madder I got. At the end, through IM poor John got sprayed with my vented spleen. If that sounds horrible, it was. He said,"Wow, you're in a bad mood." Actually, no I'm not. I'm in a great mood. I'm just fed up with the outrageous condescension emanating out of DC and Republicans in particular. I hadn't read your comments and he suggested that I do. I love you guys! You're my peeps! You said what I felt but in a far more reasoned, thoughtful way.

Later, John got me back. The New York Times dropped the piece about McCain's 90 degree turn (I can't say 180, because he only changed to the security first mantra) on amnesty. My ears are still burning from that. My reaction? Bemused. It's touching that someone actually believed John McCain. As I've said before, John McCain serves at the leisure of John McCain. We're all just along for the "I know better than you" ride.

I think it's time we face the facts, if we haven't already: The next four years are going to f*cking suck. Last week, Kim DuToit said it best:

McCain is going to screw us, every single chance he gets, as long as what he does makes him popular with the Press, or with “centrist” Democrats like Joe Lieberman, or with “moderate” Republicans like Olympia Snowe, or with “popular” figures like Ted Kennedy and Arianna Huffington, or with international bodies like the United Nations.

And occasionally, he’s going to screw us just because he hates conservatives, and because he can, and because he knows that as bad as he is, Obama would be orders of magnitude worse.

Linking to the post, I said:

P.S. Have you noticed that I have a Hillary tag and an Obama tag, but I just can't bring myself to make a McCain tag? I just. can't. do. it. Arghhhhhh! The next four years are going to be hell. Tar and feathers will be a relief.

The Republicans think that conservatives, average voters don't get it. And that's the problem. When the representatives believe they are smarter than the people they represent, they no longer represent. And that is the problem all through the House and Senate. The leaders have contempt for the opinions of those who got them there. It is no longer a representative democracy but an elected ruling class. And the ruling class thinks conservatives and libertarians who voted them into office are stupid rubes.

Illegal immigration: Security first, enrages our southern neighbor, Mexico (the world might hate us). There are millions new voters (only if amnesty passes) and the Republicans lose them all, if we're too strict on border fences (Translation: I'll lose my power). We need a cheap work force (workers as a commodity).

Earmarks, pork: You don't have to look into the eyes of big donors and tell them they aren't getting a government contract. The Democrats do it and then locals won't support Republicans. Democrats do it. We're better than them. (Translation: I'll lose my power.)

Iraq, terrorism: Americans don't like it (Translation: If I'm too supportive of the effort, I'll lose my power). No, Americans f*cking hate losing. With a purple passion, Americans hate sh*ting money away on a big pile of nothing. Do what it frigging takes, people. If that means obliterating Sadr City from the face of the planet to get the squabbling morons to pay attention, then do it and be done with it. War is bloody business. If it's a war worth fighting, then f*cking fight it. Things look like they're going better. Good. When we succeed pound away about it in the media and stop being pussies with the press.

The Press: If I'm nice, they'll be kind (Translation: I want to be re-elected and the press can help me.) The press hates you. They are progressive Leftists. Why do you give flying flap jack what they think? It is over, if it ever was, which it wasn't. You won't receive fairness from them. You won't receive balance. They will slant things, take you out of context, malign you, degrade you. Accept it. That's life. Move along and do the right thing and don't try to change reality.

Democrats: Americans want us to work with them. (Translation: Democrats are our friends and we see them at parties and we want to be polite.) No they don't. Your voters want you to stand on a principle. Fight. The Democrats will betray and sell you out every chance they get. They will be aided and abetted by the press. Stop trying to be pals with the bullies. Smash their faces (metaphorically).

Global warming: Our planet might die and it's our fault. (Translation: Everyone believes it, it must be true and we want to co-opt the issue from Democrats, because we want to sound smart and oh, by the way, we want to be re-elected.) Shut the f*ck up! You are going to kill the economy. People are also bitching about gas prices, if you haven't noticed and it's because you idiots adopt stupid policies to appease special interests like environmentalists and farmers (does anyone find these two groups an unholy alliance?). Global warming isn't caused by humans and even if it is, you buffoons aren't going to solve it. You're POLITICIANS not frigging scientists. Stop meddling in every damn thing.

Energy: We need to lower gas prices, let's ride the oil companies. (Translation: Blaming is easier than making hard political choices and I really, really want to be re-elected.) It's called drilling and exploration. Free the capitalists to do their work before we end up like Europe and paying $6 a gallon of gas.

I could go on and on. Do you notice a theme? Instead of standing on principle, the Republicans rationalize their devilish deal making by saying, "Well, if we're not in office, it will be far worse because Democrats would do worse things." And yes, I remember Reagan's quotes about conservatives unwilling to accept an 80% solution, but that's not what we're talking about here.

The Republicans don't see that if they cease to support fiscal responsibility, small government, less regulation, an open free-market, fierce self-defense, sovereignty, life, they cease to become Republicans. They are political animals buffeted about by every political wind because they're more concerned about power than principle and they justify their craven natures by saying that no principles can be supported if they aren't in power.

We'll soon find out if they're right, because the Republicans are going to lose big in the Fall. They'll be tempted, again, to blame Bush, but I suggest they look in the mirror. Return to the optimistic message that the common man is powerful and the strength of our country. Give the common man power by making sure he has as many economic choices as possible. Keep him safe from harm so he can work. Cut his taxes so he can grow. Help him educate his children by giving him educational choices.

In short, start loving the people who give you power. Respect them. They understand the political realities more than you know. Compromise is palatable if they're made on the backdrop of principle, but your voters need to believe you hold a principle. And for heaven sakes, articulate a vision. Mr. Hope-Change at least gets that. Find a charismatic, communicative, fearless Republican and have him say these things. You'll get elected, but right now, you guys have it backwards.

There is still time to turn it around. Otherwise, the wilderness will become a permanent home.

Cross-posted at Right Wing News.

Stuff You Should Know

What does Obama really believe? If you listen, he'll tell you.

And so will Michelle. Ugh. The woman needs to pipe down if she doesn't want criticism for saying stupid things.

I don't know what to think about this research that says cellphone use by pregnant women causes attention problems in the offspring, but it seems that cell phones might be more troublesome than we know. And here's the weird thing: when my iPhone is anywhere near the subwoofer, the subwoofer vibrates when I get a phone call or text or email. In fact, if the phone is near the radio, the radio goes static until it turns off again. They produce a huge EMF for being so small. At the rate people use phones now, the next generation will all be mentally retarded.

Want to see the droopiest ta-ta's ever? Evidently they fed one of the meanest mouths, too. Part of the Code Pink crowd's progeny. Ew, my eyes are still recovering. And just so you know, yes, sometimes bloggers get hate mail. Lovely. (We get love notes, too, so it all evens out.)

William F. Buckley built a road that I don't think conservative have been following for quite some time.

Crazy ants (not to be confused with my crazy aunts) are taking over Houston. I should be disturbed, but here's the disturbing part: if we get infested with them, they eat wires. No! Not that! They also eat fire ants, which is a good thing.

Is the world economy destabilizing? Yes. Are energy prices going to cause problems? Seems like they will.

Ann Althouse wants liberals to not speak their truth so people will take them seriously when it comes to Supreme Court Justices. Even if they don't say it, Ann, we know their judicial intentions. There's no hiding it.

Are conservatives out of ideas? Um, no. But the conservatives aren't running the Republican party right now. Neither are the libertarians. Right now, fat, happy, pseudo-dems are running the party and the only ideas they possess come from the Democrats. It's called liberalism lite and it sucks.

Part of this cross-posted at RWN.

Right Leaning Politics Around The Web

What is wrong with Republicans? Peggy Noonan blames Bush. Dan Collins blames morons. You'll have to see who they are at the link.

For those looking for something to be thankful for: Huckabee shot his chances to be Veep. Can I get a hallelujah? Hallelujah!

Darlene Click has the temerity to question the Supreme Court of California's eminence. Don't question the deciders, Darlene. They say gay marriage is good. Barack Obama says it's bad. Uh oh. I'm on tilt. Do two rights make a wrong?

McCain is the reason the Republicans suck. Or is it that the Republicans suck which is why they chose McCain? The Queer Conservative says:

I'm coming back to a thought I tossed around when McCain became the "presumptive" nominee. I think we need to lose this election; Congress, the White House, governorships, state houses, the whole shebang. Nothing motivates or gives you perspective like a good ass-kicking.

Uh huh. I think we'll find that out for sure here soon, how motivating ass-kickings are.

What's An Election Year Without Discussing Gay Sex?

An election year without many gay sex discussions is just empty somehow. California's Supreme Court remedied that problem. For the next months, everyone will venture forth on this topic. The Left will screech "homophobia!" if anyone says that gay marriage is wrong. The religious will predict the downfall of humanity. McCain and Obama will give suitably vague pronouncements weaseling out of having an opinion. Here's a predicted response:

"We will wait to let the court do it's work. This is a matter for the states to decide."

It will be satisfying as only these discussion can be. Thanks California! You're the best state ever.

Republicans Don't Get It Because They Don't Want To Get It

The Republicans and the rest of the country will pay come this Fall. If it's a close race, a Democrat will win. Every. Time. Why? Because the Republicans still don't get it.

Forget the social issues--abortion, gay marriage, embryonic stem cell research--they don't matter. Oh, they matter. Blah. Blah. People have strong opinions on them. People might change their votes between two similar candidates based on a social issue. But there is only one issue for which Republicans used to be defined: fiscal responsibility.

Low taxes. Low spending.

Those two things defined being a Republican. It was, it is, something all working people (besides the super, mega wealthy liberal elite) can agree on. It ties everyone together and makes for a solid, reliable voting block. But nooooo, the Republicans, when they take control of Congress and the White House spend like a million bloated Ted Kennedys. It makes me so angry I could spit and vote Obama for spite. I am not alone.

Over the past six years the Republican leadership, including the smug John McCain, ducked from fights and chose solutions like reaching across the aisle for "compromise". Compromise meant spending like a Democrat just not spending quite as much. Americans don't want two versions of Democrats when it comes to THEIR money. They want a choice. Well, for the past six years, Republicans and fiscally conservative Democrats have watched in helpless outrage as the Republicans treated the electorate the exact same way the Democrats treated them--with contempt.

These Congress people get wealthy while in office and blithely bankrupt the country. They have no problem spending your hard earned dough, a couple times over. And the Republicans did nothing to stop the madness. They encouraged it along. Did they think they will not pay a price for their gluttony at the public trough? They will pay one.

And come Fall, the country will pay because the irony is this: Americans figure, if they're going to get Democrat policy might as well elect Democrats and see if they can do it better. There will be even more spending and more taxes. Thanks Republicans!

Meanwhile, John McCain is talking about Global Warming in Oregon (where he has a snowball's chance in Hell). Are frigging kidding me?

Rights For Disabled People Via The UN

Wouldn't it be cool to be part of an organization with no responsibility or accountability but plenty of authority to make pronouncements and edicts from on high? It would be suweeet! Heck, maybe that's what it's like to be a "community organizer", but I digress. The UN has come up with a new treaty for the disabled (but doesn't go on to define disabled):

The CRPD guarantees disabled people:

• The right to make their own decisions
• The right to say No to being placed in an institution
• The right to say No to medical or psychological treatment
• The right to live in the community
• The removal of barriers to participation in daily life
• Equal opportunities for all

So, let's just take an example: mental retardation from Down's Syndrome. So a mentally retarded child has a right to life. Does that mean that they can't be aborted? Once alive, the child gets to make his own decisions. He can say no to institutionalization. He can say no to medical treatment. He can have "equal opportunities". What does that mean?

The United Nations produced one more empty "treaty" to address a problem for which there is no solution. Disabilities cover a broad spectrum. A person born with no arm is disabled, but of course should have all the rights and responsibilities of a fully functional person. All disabled people deserve to be treated with respect but some are in no position to make decisions about their own care.

Will this treaty stop female (just being a female is a disability in some cultures) infanticide in India and China? Will this treaty end the abuse (and really disabled births because relatives marry) of disabled children throughout the Islamic culture? No and no. Will it make bureaucrats feel better? Yep. Should the United States sign this treaty? Hell no.

It's Okay To Be Racist, Sexist, Misogynist, Misandrist, Ageist or Mean Generally IF You're Liberal

Liberal commenters over at Cassy Fiano's blog felt free to spew hate toward her because shes conservative and female:

Grebrook:
Dude, she's fat. LOL. And she goes and gives this pathetically condescending interview about how she doesn't date liberal men, as if liberal men really care? It's kind of like a black guy telling the KKK "nah, you're not good enough for me to be a member". They're not exactly inviting him in.

Cassy, you're fat, seriously. Until you lose weight, I think it's safe to say that you don't have much room to talk about "liberal idiots" if you're not intelligent enough to stay healthy.

Grebrook:
Rofl, do you actually read this blog? This girl is a walking cliche. A fat, white angry Republican ...

Fat? A whale? Come on guys, couldn't you come up with anything better than that? I mean, really. That's like, the most boring, unoriginal insult in the book. Try a little harder next time. Please.

It isn't about lack of imagination, Cassy. It's about entitlement. Being liberal entitles a person to say and do anything because their motives are pure and their premise unquestionably correct.

So, Hillary can, with a straight face talk about her white people supporters. Obama can disparage "the other" because he's better, knows better. These are the leaders of the Left. The average Leftist blog commenter is just doing the same thing albeit on a less sophisticated level. The talk will denigrate into fat rolls and vaginas. My personal favorite sexist joke recently here:

What is the smartest thing to come out of a woman's mouth? Albert Einstein's cock.

The joke was in reference to me being a stupid, entitled, fat, old bitch. It was a personal attack to demonstrate my abject stupidness. It was okay, though, because when you're smarter and liberal (read better) using a sexist attack is perfectly acceptable.

Today, James Kirchick writing in The Advocate highlights liberal homophobia:

If John McCain had confessed to being “not comfortable” around “those people,” handed a microphone over to the likes of Donnie McClurkin, cast aspersions about the sexuality of political opponents, or just openly called someone a “fruitcake,” the denunciations from liberals would be swift and unforgiving. Yet Democrats in particular and liberals more broadly always get a pass. Indeed, at the time of Stark’s outburst, the Human Rights Campaign defended the congressman by emphasizing that he "is one of the gay community's staunchest allies." Log Cabin Republicans president Patrick Sammon points to the example of the Democratic mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Jim Naugle, who has made a series of homophobic remarks about the many gay tourists who visit his Florida city. Rarely, however, do news stories ever mention that Naugle is a Democrat. “If he was a Republican, every single story about him would have ‘Republican’ before his name,” Sammon says.

The liberal journalist Eric Alterman, a columnist for The Nation and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think tank, is a particularly nasty example of the liberal homophobe. Two years ago he challenged gay, HIV-positive journalist Andrew Sullivan to prove a claim Sullivan had made about Alterman regarding military action in Afghanistan, offering to pay “$10,000 to the AIDS charity of Sullivan’s choice.” He mocked Sullivan, “who is HIV positive and likes to discuss this fact with reporters,” for his “remodeled bathroom in P-town.” Alterman regularly refers to Sullivan as “little Roy,” after Roy Cohn, the gay aide to Sen. Joe McCarthy who died of AIDS complications. Following Ann Coulter’s labeling Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards a “faggot” in 2007, Alterman said, “Look, the word 'faggot' ... is a word one hears in private conversation quite frequently; she just said it in public.” Makes one wonder what sort of company Alterman keeps.

Why do liberals get a pass when they are clearly hypocritical and would, themselves, skewer someone on the right who used the same rhetoric? Because, their ideology is pure. They have good intentions. Their motives are above question.

I'm not arguing for stifling free speech. As I wrote last week in "America Up!", there is far too much victim-claiming behavior by far too many people. The political correctness has stopped honest debate about real solutions and lead to absolutely insane actions. Political correctness has put the emphasis on the superficial rather than the substance. What I am arguing is that the liberals want and get to have it all ways. It is perfectly fine to play dirty, use nasty language, and hold discriminatory beliefs as long as they wear the right name and party.

Democrats and liberals always get a pass. It makes me think that they don't really believe their politically correct rhetoric and just spew it to obtain and retain power. Holding the Right to stringent speech standards restricts the debate and forces only certain kind of conversations with pre-determined outcomes. How convenient. Even better, liberals can attempt to restrict the speech of the opposition by using the very same offensive speech they claim is wrong. Wow, what a great deal.

Most Influential People On The Right

How is it that President Bush only makes #14 on a list of John Hawkin's blogger list of 25 most influential people on the right. Is he that lame of lame duck?

Obama Started Muslim

Yes he did. Why do politicians lie when the truth is easy to find? Rachel Lucas sez:

I know that I’m supposed to say that I don’t have a problem with Obama being a Muslim as a child, and that it’s only the lying that I find objectionable.

But screw that. I do have a problem with it; not a big one, but roughly the same size problem I’d have if it turned out John McCain went to Klan rallies as a kid. I might not think that the grown-man version of him has any Muslim beliefs, but it’s still a little thorn in my brain.

There is much I find objectionable about Obama. The fact that his brain was washed in Islam as a child is the least of it, tells you something.

Flu Vaccine Works For Shit

How many times do I have to tell you peeps that the Flu vaccine is utterly worthless? To reiterate: the flu virus mutates constantly. As in, the flu that your buddy gets three months from now is not the same exact flu you suffer with today. Furthermore, the vaccine for this year's flu is made from LAST year's flu virus. Researchers guess what strains will predominate and make the vaccine based on that.

This year, as in last year, they guessed wrong. Again.

Each year, health officials - making essentially an educated guess - formulate a vaccine against three viruses they think will be circulating. They guess well most of the time, and the vaccine is often between 70 and 90 percent effective.

But this year, two of the three strains were not good matches and the vaccine was only 44 percent effective, according to a study done in Marshfield, Wis.

The only people who benefit from the flu vaccine are the pharmaceutical companies. Now, I do not give a rats rump if they make money on other legitimate products. More power to them. But the flu vaccine is a complete fraud.

What does 44% protection mean? Does that mean that of the viri out there, you'll be covered almost half the time? According to the CDC, about 3-20% of the population gets the flu each year. How much money goes into vaccinating the 97-80% of the people who don't get the flu? In addition, how many people in the hospital were vaccinated, but got sick anyway? Remember 56% of the viri are not covered. So a vaccinated person will likely be vulnerable to the majority of the viruses that cause the flu. Nice. And it is possible that 1.5% to 9% of the population will be the ones covered effectively by getting the vaccine. Is that worth it? Is the expense every, single year, worth it? Is the trouble worth it? Would you have a surgery if it had a 1.5% to 9% effective rate?

Here's the deal: Every couple years, you're going to get the flu. It will make you miserable. It will boost your immune system. And you'll likely be safe for a couple years. The flu sucks. If you're a sick or weak person, it could kill you. But there are risks in life and the flu vaccine doesn't cover enough of them to make it worth it.

Around and About

Tigerhawk asks, "Is John McCain a cylon?" My only thing is this: Why'd they go and make a cylon with a faulty arm? Does it have some special fighting capability? Is the arm actually weaponized? That's my theory. It's not just an arm, it's a diversion and a weapon. Makes him look old, but he could kill you. I believe that anyway. McCain scares me.

If you don't know about the Canadian human rights commission crap, go here and here. This is important people. One of my favorite Canadian bloggers, Small Dead Animals, is being sued because he used speech that some dude in Canada didn't like. Imagine saying something a liberal didn't like and being hauled before a bureaucrat (this isn't a real court with a real judge, this is just some pencil pusher who is "following the rules") to defend yourself. Canada sucks.

The Pope is visiting New York. Catholics are happy (especially cult escapees). I'm not Catholic, but I have found myself warming to the Pontiff. He's an acquired taste. Pope John Paul was more approachable.

Glenn Reynolds needs a new phone soon but says that it won't be the iPhone. Too bad for you, is what I say. I love my iPhone. The direction GPS stuff is phenomenal (I got around San Antonio and upstate New York with it)--no more maps. I text and IM on it. I love the visual messages. I keep track of my schedule. I read the news. Hell, Instapundit is one of my saved pages. Really, this little machine is my life. It were to disappear. Aughhhh!

Advice for men giving women advice at the gun range: Back the frak off! Ditto advice at the gym. No joke, a girlfriend of mine is ripped, could be in body building competitions and she gets guys coming up to her in the gym explaining how to use the equipment. Same thing happens to me. When I say, I'm a chiropractor, yadda, yadda, guys will still press on advising. Sheesh! They would never do that with a guy, ever.

I am consistently impressed with Shiite cleric Ali Sistani over in Iraq. This man, who seems to live behind some mysterious shroud, has consistently put the best interests of Iraq first. It has to be life-threatening to be standing firm the way he does. It is also life-threatening to be one of al-Sadr's henchmen. C'est la vie mon cherie terrorist thug!

Have I told you people that I loath Keith Olbermann? If I have, I haven't said it enough.

Poor, poor Hillary! She's being hated on because she's a woman. If her hearty chortle, lack of humor, boorish behavior and leftist rhetoric were coming from a man, he would definitely be a shoo-in for president. Definitely.

Finally, egads! Mitt Romney won first place in a blogger poll as Veep to McCain. Heaven help us! I must be out of touch because who in sam hill is hot for Romney? He as inspiring as as....cordovan wing tips. What the hell? Michael Steele? Now, him, I like.

General Betray Us, NOT!--UPDATED

Well, I haven't posted on General (or is that Admiral, snort) Petraeus' testimony. Not because it's not important, mind you, but because the outcome was foreordained. He would sound imminently reasonable, intelligent, and commanding and the Senators would sound unreasonable, stupid and vapid.

Predictably, the lefties hated the testimony. Ted Kennedy being the most inane, as usual. They are just in denial, plain and simple.

Some complex thoughts on the subject of Iraq here. More thoughts on that corpulent troll Muqtada al-Sadr. I've wanted him dead for so dang long. He needs to be expunged from Iraq's memory.

UPDATE: By the way, Iraq and Afghanistan has created heroes, brave men and women who have sacrificed for their comrades and saved lives by choice, knowing that they'd forfeit their own to do so. Mike Monsoor is one such soldier . Please read all about him.