Two Brave Frenchmen

What?! you ask. Let me explain. No, there is no time. Let me sum up:

Every liberal who willing to be rude claims to be brave, but we know better.

Now, this is bravery:

Who are the only two persons in France willing to go in the middle of this crowd [Muslims protesting the Danish cartoons], with a fake, freshly-cut hand holding a drawing pencil, and two posters hanging around their neck saying "free cartoonist" and "Support Denmark / Support Free Speech" (on a Danish flag background)? Arthur Wneir and Erik Svane of course!



Yeah, and they are French.

Our liberals could learn a lot from the French. Well, some of the French, anyway.

Stuff

Look, I've got to post something, I know. So I'll use other people's hard work.

So, this is really really funny.

At Ayn Rand Nude Volleyball Camp, our motto is: objectivism r fun! Here you'll socialize with other marginal, slack-butted misfits as well as pimple-scabbed teenagers using great big words. We'll also study the objectivist theory of volleyball, in which we use rubber spheres to represent balls, thus providing a perceptual framework for meaningless gibberish.

And it ends with the traditional Ayn Rand Costume Ball, in which we dress as our favorite two-dimensional Rand caricature, then pair off to have joyless sexual intercourse.

So is this.


Without the pictures:

Wait, I think I understand now. Da Vinci was...

Shut up!

Why, do you think someone's listening?

No. You had me at Da Vinci.

Look, just hit the link.

And now...

... In more serious stuff, you wonder why I am fed up with the Republican party? That extremely cool guy Taranto sums it up:

"House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) told President Bush yesterday that he is concerned the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) raid on Rep. William Jefferson's (D-La.) congressional office over the weekend was a direct violation of the Constitution," reports the Hill:

Jefferson is being investigated to see if he influenced legislation in exchange for a number of elaborate, illegal payment schemes, including a single cash payment of $100,000, most of which was discovered in his freezer during a later raid of his home.

Calling the Saturday-night raid an "invasion of the legislative branch," House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) predicted the case would eventually be resolved in the Supreme Court and hinted that Congress would take further action. The majority leader said Hastert would take the lead on the issue because he is the chief constitutional officer in the House. "I am sure there will be a lot more said about this," Boehner said.

National Review's Byron York concedes that the raid "raises serious separation of powers issues" but reports that the Justice Department has taken "extraordinary care . . . to address those issues." First, investigators tried but failed to get Jefferson to turn over the evidence they needed. Then, the raid, according to the warrant authorizing it, was "conducted by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who have had no substantive role in the investigation" in order to prevent any "politically sensitive" information from being disclosed.

In any case, Hastert and Boehner's objections are bound to rub many Republican constitutents the wrong way. After all, the first plank of the Contract With America was a promise to "require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress." Something like this makes it harder to argue that the GOP deserves to maintain its majority.

No kidding. Someone needs to shake up the Republicans. They are as lost as the Democrats on so many issues.

Finally,



creatism explained nicely and neatly, for all godless commy Darwinists to choke on.

Lawyerly Lit

tee bee

It was a maxim with Mr. Brass that the habit of paying compliments kept a man’s tongue oiled without any expense; and that, as that useful member ought never to grow rusty or creak in turning on its hinges in the case of a practitioner of the law, in whom it should be always glib and easy, he lost few opportunities of improving himself by the utterance of handsome speeches and eulogistic expressions

If there were no bad people there would be no good lawyers.

Charles Dickens, Old Curiosity Shop

When one wanted one’s interests looking after whatever the cost, it was not so well for a lawyer to be over honest, else he might not be up to other people’s tricks.

George Eliot, The Radical

A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect.

Sir Walter Scott, Guy Mannering

Long Time No See

I'm going to get some posting done. First, where did I go last week?

I did a Disney Cruise on the Disney Wonder ship (see below - click on ship for blow up picture). It was primarily for KJita's benefit of course. It was also my first cruise, so it was a new experience for me. I'm sure that to some extent, Disney's experience is somewhat unique. My thoughts:

Not really a cheap vacation. Food was plentiful and "free" but the alcohol (read beer) was about 4-5 bucks a pop. I smuggled some Makers Mark on board, so I didn't have to buy any sipping drinks. I did like the "beer" deal though. For $9.99 you buy a nice Disney mug (22 oz.). You then pay the price from any bar for their tap beer which is normally served in 16 oz. glases. You get the 6 oz. free. I made money on that deal.

I'm kind of a space person. I felt like I had to go into the hall to change my mind, and I had one of the mid to upper level priced rooms. Which means nothing, really, as to size of the room. There are only about a half dozen bigger rooms on the boat. Your room cost is based mostly on (1) location (stay away from the engine), (2) middle of boat for smoother ride, (3) near the elevators, and (4) exterior room (meaning you get a view and/or a balcony).

Service was great. Food was quite good. Drinks were not outrageous. They were cheaper than Turner Field, but I hated paying for them.

The Disney private island and beach was pretty cool. Great investment by Disney I'm sure.

The Disney characters were mostly good, but Pochahanntus looked Native Philipino, not Native American. Mulan looked as asian as Tiger Woods (yes, he is 50% asian), and as black as well. Aurora (left), KJita's favorite princess, was a little old for the job. I mean, c'mon, Aurora is only 16 in the movie. Cinderella was hot. Smokin'. So was Belle. Snow White was the least attractive, but she is in the cartoon as well, so that was expected.

The staff took my daughters' pillow case, which we brought for the autographs, and had all the characters sign it, so we didn't have to wait in lines for all of them unless KJita wanted a picture. Which she did quite often. Other characterws included, of course, the Mice (below right, with Kwan), Donald, Goofey, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Peter Pan, Hook and Smee, Stitch, and others.

The Broadway type shows were fun, but they were not Broadway shows per say. For example, they did not have the Broadway version of the Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. The first night they did a short musical based on the Disney movie Hercules. It was funny, especially the Hades character. The next two nights were shorts celebrating Walt Disney, the movies, etc. Enough Disney already!

The duty free shop on the ship had a good selection of Scotch. I do not understand why KJita can't bring a bottle back into the states though. That hurt. The Johnny Walker Blue was $135 on the ship, but I waited and found it for $132 in Nassau (and also found it on the same block for $156, so it pays to shop around a little). I also got a free leather Johnny Walker duffle bag from the Nassau store. I couldn't find any Macallan 18 in Nassau, so I bought it off the boat.

Personally, I liked it, but I would prefer to go to Sandles/Beaches, where my drinks are free also. Throw in some Disney princesses, and I'm sure I could sell it to KJita as well.

Four days is not really enough though. You have a half day when you board, and last day is wake up, eat and get out! So it is really 2 1/2 days, 3 nights. If I do it again (and I'm sure I will), I'll go a little longer and not so close to tuition time for KJita.

***************************************************************************************
Since I'm not a travel writer, let me tell you about my Manhattan business trip in early April.

I stayed at the QT. In expensive, small rooms. I did this because my conference sold out before I signed up, but it also saved me money on my budget for more drinking and entertainment. It has a weird mixture of nice and cheap. The bed was really comfortable, a rarity in hotels other than Starwood and other high end chains. All rooms have a flat screen TV and DVD player. It had the pay per view, and the towels were as large and nice as anywhere. No tub (which I didn't mind). Very small toilet room though.

The rest of the room? Think Ikea decor, but without the sense of style. Yes, very modern, but not my style. I paid a little extra for a table so I could work (most rooms don't have one). It was small, round and had no drawers. The chair was plastic and uncomfortable. Oh, the room had wireless internet and helpful tech support (yes, I had to call), a fridge and a safe.

The bar at the QT is a hip spot. It was for ultra hip, beautiful people. Not me. Pile On maybe. It looked into the underwater part of the pool.

Overall, fine for a sleeping room and bigger than a cruise ship room. Light on service. If it isn't your money, and you don't need to worry about maxing out your budget, stay at one of the Times Square Starwood or Hyatt family hotels.

I had tickets to a Mets game (the Yanks were out of town). It rained out. Of course, a rainticket was worthless to me. So my impression of Shea Stadium is it sucks, and so do the Mets. But I knew that before I went to New York.

Let me just mention two places I found with a friend on Saturday. Both are in Manhattan in the 30's streets. For a great beer menu, try the Ginger Man. This place is a Pile On wet dream. Around 150 beers on tap as I recall. The food menu sucks though.

Keen's Steakhouse had a better food menu, and 100 Single Malt Scotch selections. Many dollars later, we had spent a lot of my expense budget and not had the same scotch twice. Both are highly recommended for reasons stated.

The Producers, Mel Brooks' Broadway show, was very funny, though I did not get to see Lane and Broderick.

And you thought you could only get stuff like this from Conde Naste?

WWKJD?

tee bee

Kofi presses Bush to get involved for a change, saying Iran won't show its hand until the cowboy antes up. If the UK, France and Germany are calling the stakes, and it's known that Dubya backs the British and the French proposal of "a resolution under Chapter 7 of the United Nations charter ... invok[ing] economic sanctions or military force...", then what's to be gained by putting this on Condi's dance card?

Would the jury have convicted the priest if KJ'd managed the defense? Doubtful. As one of KJ's trusty research assistants (pro bono), I'd have gone after the letter opener and its makers to demonstrate the availability of similar tools, etc. Then we'd have attacked the "satanic" angle, providing other suspects. That's just for starters.

Pr0n domain tres-equis proposal dumped by ICANN - libertarian victory? " 'It increasingly raised the question of [whether] ICANN was itself now going to be expected to be the enforcer of every jurisdiction’s view of content,' [ICANN Chair Paul Twomey] said... 'Their concern was that people would be forced into that [domain] and it would be a mechanism for censorship,' said Mr Twomey."

'The Year of the Black Republican?'

tee bee

I was skeptical when I saw the Washington Post headline, "The Year of the Black Republican?"

Black Repubs are nothing new, but the press has usually framed the left/right discourse in terms that Dems view them, generally as anomolous. So I was prepared for another race identity = liberal piece.

But after the usual recital of black/Dem allegiance debts, Dan Balz and Matthew Mosk focus on the political race of the three subjects: Lynn Swann (Governor, Penn.), Michael Steele (Senate, Md.), and Kenneth Blackwell (Governor, Ohio).

The three are running on similar platforms of lower taxes, smaller government, and opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, but they come to their contests with different credentials. Blackwell has a long résumé in elective office and conservative causes. Steele is a former state party chairman but has never been elected on his own. Swann is a true political novice, albeit one with the star quality of a Hall of Fame wide receiver.

All three begin as underdogs. Independent polls have shown Steele starting the campaign as much as 15 points behind the Democratic front-runner. Blackwell trailed by 10 percentage points in a pre-primary Mason-Dixon poll for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Swann trails Rendell in the polls and has lost ground since entering the race earlier this year.

Steele faces a blue state with just under one-third black votership; Swann is a celebrity and a rookie; and Blackwell faces the usual uphill road of a black conservative with a record (the charge: deciding while conservative=corruption).

The Repubs acknowledge strategy at work - ""We've gone from a model of outreach to a model of inclusion," [RNC Chair Ken] Mehlman said. "Outreach is a top-down approach. Inclusion says, 'Let's find some really good people and encourage them to run for office.' "

More to the point, both parties are looking at the long haul of voting patterns and black conservatives "proving" themselves to the left.

Voting patterns may change, and black voters may embrace conservatism and what it offers, but the Dem stance is unlikely to drop its cynicism regardless of the performance of the likes of Steele, Swann and Blackwell.

The Dems' real concern is the money required for these and other key races. Given the appeal of Steele in particular and the other two candidates in general as well as the profile of the offices in question, the demands will be steep.

CP @ GMC.

Vlogging: Learn Something New

tee bee

Learn something about women while you experience blog's cutting edge, vlogging.

You will also learn about ostracism. And about its source in Islam from Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Muslim from Somalia.

Learn about the art of Theo Van Gogh and the price he paid for it.

And about author Oriana Fallaci. And journalist Atwar Bahjat.

Most of all, learn about courage.

Via Rusty. Hit the play symbol at the bottom left of the screen on the Hot Air page.

CP @ GMC.

Monday Reader

tee bee

It's Monday! Yay! Aren't you glad you're back in the office, away from those prying kids and whiny spouses? Yeah, who needs free time.

Now that you've got your thinking cap back on, here's some food for thought in short bits. If you're hungry for more, follow the link.

-- Not that you'll ever catch me doing this for fun or protest. But I do want to be there when protest dude snorts a bee. Heh.

-- Dare I say it - the church framed the debate poorly, leaving itself no ground in an increasingly secular society.

-- A family member forwarded a slice of video taken in the early days of the month-long operation. We are pretty sure that the young man in the first half of the video putting on a backpack is Reuben.

-- Two words: Atwar Bahjat. Read the whole thing, it's very important.

Oh heck, this is funny and I don't have to write anything

Just got this in an e-mail, and I had not heard it before:

A blonde woman was speeding down the road in her little red sports car and was pulled over by a woman police officer who was also a blonde.

The blonde cop asked to see the blonde driver's license. She dug through her purse and was getting progressively more agitated.

"What does it look like?, she finally asked.The policewoman replied, "It's square and it has your picture on it."

The driver finally found a square mirror in her purse, looked at it and then handed it to the policewoman. "Here it is," she said.

The blonde officer looked at the mirror, then handed it back saying,"Okay, you can go. I didn't realize you were a cop."

Outstanding ...

... and true.

... and funny.

... and outstanding.

... and Cookie!

When Are We Going To Take Global Warming Seriously?

More bad news on global warming, which we know can cause dams to break and which VP Al Gore told me was really, really bad.

Now, it has caused large hurricanes to become even larger, just like with Katrina.

Jupiter is growing a new red spot and the Hubble Space Telescope is photographing the scene. Backyard astronomers have been following the action, too.

"Red Spot Jr." as it is being called, formed after three white oval-shaped storms—two of which were at least 90 years old—merged between 1998 and 2000.

In other words, these storms are older than we can even measure through modern technology.

Little is known about how storms form on the giant planet. They are often described as behaving similar to hurricanes on Earth. Some astronomers believe that the spots dredge up material deep below Jupiter's clouds and lift it to where the Sun's ultraviolet light chemically alters it to give it a red hue.

The latest images could provide evidence that Jupiter is in the midst of a global change that can modify temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit on different parts of the globe.

Although the scientists can't explain how or why this is happening, it is the conscesus of the scientific community that this is caused by man made global warming.

Since we know that polution from the United States is what causes climate change, such as the Great Ice Age on Earth more than a million years ago, Hurricane Katrina, and the War/Quagmire In Iraq, it is no surprise that our conduct and refusal to sign Kyoto is responsible for this tragedy on Jupiter.

I only hope that President Bush will do his job and get all the poor Jupiturians of color evacuated in time.

A Modest Proposal

tee bee

Re: They just want to come here

PaulNoonan wants to open the borders and be free to employ whomever he wants - in an effort to relieve Government of one of its burdens and thereby shrink it.

Chris and I (and many BBA members) want to continue to enjoy the prosperity we've earned through security; it's not that we're against small government, it's that government needs to effect one of its inarguable and sacred duties:

It must protect its citizens and their right to pursue life, liberty and property. Securing the borders must be the job of government, as is raising a standing army and fending off interlopers and attackers.

The failure of securing our borders weakens every aspect of our system, from the burgeoning level of social services available to the freedom to work in the World Trade Center or Pentagon without being blown up.

America is far from the first to engage this problem. Ireland was England's self-made Mexico. Jonathan Swift noted the hard circumstances of the Irish - the poverty and blight that forced them to leave their homes looking for any opportunity, begging, borrowing and stealing - and the burden this caused England.

Swift, an Anglo-Irish political essayist and author of Gulliver's Travels, whose father died before he was born in Dublin, Ireland, made his infamous proposal, which has been reprised many times. PJ O'Rourke's Eat the Rich owes its title to Swift.

I love Mexican food, but I'm not reprising Swift's proposal, though I agree with his assessment:

I think it is agreed by all parties that this prodigious number of children in the arms, or on the backs, or at the heels of their mothers, and frequently of their fathers, is in the present deplorable state of the kingdom a very great additional grievance; and, therefore, whoever could find out a fair, cheap, and easy method of making these children sound, useful members of the commonwealth, would deserve so well of the public as to have his statue set up for a preserver of the nation.

Therefore I offer my humble service and a strategy that will resolve this issue in a manner pleasing to all parties in less than a generation - much more quickly than any other proposal that has yet to be presented:

Annex Mexico now.

What do I ask in return? Swift's visage graces the Irish ten-pound note; let mine grace the new Estados Unidos twenty-five dollar bill.

CP @ GMC.