A Trapdoor In The Sun

I'll be taking the next week off of blogging as my son is out here from California for the week. Merry Christmas! Be back in the New Year!

Meet Bill. I did, a week or so ago. We were attending a Walmart Christmas party with Kate's mom (who's been with Wally-World for over 8 years). I had gone to the gathering with much skepticism. To explain that, I have to get one thing out of the way. As a semi-urban liberal, I sometimes have preconceived stereotypes about certain demographic groups. As Bill and his wife sat down across the cafeteria table from us, all of those stupid stereotypes began to roll around in my head. I sized Bill up in two seconds based on his Tony Stewart Home Depot hat, the half unbuttoned dress shirt that was revealing a little too much of his grey chest hair, and most of all, his thick down-home Texas drawl that danced off his tongue when he began talking to us. Bill was a semi-recent transplant to Central Ohio. He began to comment about how different people are in the Midwest, in comparison to Southeast Texas. "Back in Texas, there was a real sense of community." he said, "You cou...

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/5580743/detail [snip]...The Ohio Patriot Act has made it to the Taft's desk, and with the stroke of a pen, it would most likely become the toughest terrorism bill in the country. The lengthy piece of legislation would let police arrest people in public places who will not give their names, address and birth dates, even if they are not doing anything wrong. WEWS reported it would also pave the way for everyone entering critical transportation sites such as, train stations, airports and bus stations to show ID. "It brings us frighteningly close to a show me your papers society," said Carrie Davis of the ACLU, which opposes the Ohio Patriot Act. There are many others who oppose the bill as well. " The variety of people who opposed to this is not just a group of the usual suspects. We have people far right to the left opposing the bill who think it is a bad idea," said Al McGinty, NewsChannel5Â’s terrorism expert.[/snip] Well, you know m...

Thanks goes out to my buddy Klown for emailing me this! Absolutely hi-larious! http://www.4q.cc/chuck/index.php?topthirty 1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried. 2. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits. 3. To prove it isn't that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked 15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and aquired 7 different kinds of cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes. Beat that, Lance Armstrong. 4. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs. 5. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain. 6. Chuck Norris does not hunt because the word hunting infers the probability of failure. Chuck Norris goes killing. 7. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death. 8. Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck met all ...

State of Alaska files suit against BP, Exxon Mobil for restricting supplies of Natural Gas and inflating prices. [snip]The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fairbanks, says the two companies acted together to eliminate competition for the exploration, development and marketing of natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to U.S. markets. "The only reason for them to collusively not to sell is to try to continue the scarcity that has driven natural gas prices to historic highs," said David Boies, the attorney for the Alaska Gasline Port Authority, which filed the lawsuit.[/snip] I think the thing that makes me sick about this is all of the commercials BP has been putting out in the last few years, painting themselves as a tree-hugger, evironmentally friendly energy supplier whose very concerned about global warming and the state of the environment. The commercials suggest that BP is at the forefront in the exploration of alternative sources of energy, and that slowly ...

Senate pressed to investigate NSA wiretaps... Democrats call for investigation of NSA wiretaps WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic House leaders called Sunday for an independent panel to investigate the legality of a program President Bush authorized that allows warrantless wiretaps on U.S. citizens, according to a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. "We believe that the President must have the best possible intelligence to protect the American people, but that intelligence must be produced in a manner consistent with our Constitution and our laws, and in a manner that reflects our values as a nation," the letter says. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; Minority Whip Steny Hoyer; Rep. John Conyers, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Henry Waxman, the ranking member on the House Committee on Government Reform, signed the letter. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Bush's actions, telling "Fox News Sunday" the president had ...

McCain, White House at impasse over detainee treatment WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. John McCain and President Bush's national security adviser remained at an impasse Wednesday over the senator's proposed ban on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign terrorism suspects. "At this point, discussions are ongoing," national security adviser Stephen Hadley told The Associated Press as he left McCain's Capitol Hill office after a meeting that lasted just over an hour. "We continue to chat," McCain, R-Arizona, said just before meeting with Hadley. The senator spent five years as a prisoner while serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. The ban on mistreatment of prisoners, and another provision standardizing the interrogation techniques used by U.S. troops, have stalled two defense bills in Congress, including a must-pass wartime spending measure.House and Senate negotiators want to complete the bills before adjourning for the year. But GOP leaders...

This Photoshop Contest over at Fark.com had me in stitches. Inspiration: Awkward Moments in Video Games. Funny stuff...

(Syphoned from Blognonymous , thanks Kvatch!) Starting your first conservative blog? Well good for you! We need all the conservatives we can get here in the blogsphere because, let's face it, you can't drown out the liberals unless you make a BIG NOISE! So to help you out, we here at Blognonymous have compiled some helpful hints to make your blogging as pleasant (not to mention useful to the cause) as possible: Never comment on "lefty" blogs - It just legitimizes their sad and useless lives, in addition to driving up their traffic stats. Never praise a Democrat, progressive, or liberal on your blog - Remember that there is only one right way to think in our blogsphere. Always find something nice to say Ann Coulter or Michelle Malkin - And if you're male, try to work in the notion that Ann is your ideal mate. Always remember that liberals are idiots and tell them so every chance you get - Try ending each post with "Oh, and by the way, liberals are idiots...

I'm a frequent reader of right wing propaganda. I'll admit that. I think there are quite a few decent, straight forward Republicans out there who run excellent commentary on their blogs. They are typically warm and open to respectful debate. Mike M. 's blog is a good example. However, I am convinced that there are some real nut jobs out in the blogosphere, who's primary goal is to berate and destroy any opposition to their polar ideology. So, with all due respect, I've opted to create a weekly award to highlight randomly selected right wing nutjobs' hate filled contribution to our online community as well as the political landscape. This section will appropriately be labeled "The Right Wing Cheerleader of the Week Award", in honor of everyone's favorite Yale cheerleader! Without any further ado, this week's Right Wing Cheerleader of the Week Award is given to Ottman, over at The Creative Conservative . Otto is a fearless general of mis-informa...

Robot or Human? Here's Actroid! Do you suppose a male model is in the works? Would it look anything like this?

I caught most of Bush's speach yesterday streaming on NPR. While he sounded well rehearsed, it seemed to be full of the same old rhetoric that he's been rehashing for the last two years. What did shock me though, is how quickly he worked 9/11 into his speech! A mere 27 seconds in... It's the first year that every class of midshipmen at this academy arrived after the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of you have volunteered to wear our nation's uniform in a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers that accompany military service. Our citizens are grateful for your devotion of duty. And America's proud of the men and women at the U.S. Naval Academy. I sat there and tried to remember all the Iraqi's that were on those four planes that attacked our country. Funny. I couldn't remember one of them being from Iraq. Maybe Saudi Arabia or Egypt. Apparently, they still want to trod out the ol' guilty by association horse and pony show. Still, 80% of ...

World's Ugliest Dog Dies. Satan welcomes home long lost Spawn World's Ugliest Dog' Dies POSTED: 9:02 am CST November 22, 2005 SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- A celebrity pooch named Sam has died.With a hairless body, crooked teeth and a tiny tuft of hair on his knobby head, Sam was billed as the ugliest dog in the world.Owner Susie Lockheed said he died Friday, just short of his 15th birthday.Sam, who had his own Web site at SamUgliestDog.com , first captured ugliest-dog honors at a California fair in 2003 and had won the contest both years since.He was a purebred Chinese crested hairless and his looks made him an international celebrity. He made the British tabloids and was on TV in Japan. And, somehow or other, Sam was even on the radio in New Zealand.He also once compared hair with the famously coifed Donald Trump.On top of that, there were Sam T-shirts, calendars and coffee mugs. And he had three doggie pals: TatorTot, TinkerBell and PixieNoodle. In light of Sam's demise a...

Michael Newdow, the atheist who continues his fight against the Pledge of Allegiance, will open a new front this week in his campaign to purge references to God from government. He plans to file a lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, challenging the national motto: "In God We Trust." UCDavis Health Newdow wants to remove the phrase from U.S. paper money and coins because he believes it represents a government endorsement of religion. "We are the nation that gave to the world the establishment that government should not endorse religion and everybody should be what they want," Newdow said Monday. "And of all the possible choices, we go with the motto of 'In God We Trust,' which totally contradicts that tradition." One constitutional expert who has closely followed Newdow's pledge cases doubts that a challenge to the national motto - printed on a range of government buildings in addition to currency - will succeed. The courts...

I'm predicting 35-14 Buckeyes tommorow...

Fitzgerald sees new grand jury proceedings By Adam Entous 28 minutes ago In a sign he may seek new or revised charges in the CIA leak case, special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald said on Friday his investigation would be going back before a grand jury. It was the first time Fitzgerald said he would be presenting information to another grand jury since the indictment and resignation three weeks ago of Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Lawyers in the case said the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame, which has reached into the highest levels of the White House, could be moving into a new phase that could result in charges against other top administration officials. President George W. Bush's top political adviser, Karl Rove, was told by prosecutors last month that he remained under investigation and could still be charged, lawyers said. Fitzgerald may also be pursuing new leads following Washington Post...

http://www.arnoldsneighborhood.com/ ; )

Okay. We've all seen the current Republican talking points circulating... you know, the one with all of the quotes from Democrats who at one time supported authorizing Bush to use military force in Iraq... yeah, that one. The fine folks over at the RNC has even made a nice little movie clip with the soundbites over on their website. Well with all the attacks and rhetoric coming from the White House recently thrown at anyone criticizing the war in Iraq, here are some interesting quotes regarding patriotism, war and supporting the troops. Can you guess who said them? "You can support the troops but not the president." -1 "Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years." -2 "Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?" -3 "[The] President . . . is once again releasing ...

Democratic hawk presses for U.S. Iraq pullout By Vicki Allen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic congressional leader on defense called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, as he rejected on Thursday Bush administration attacks on war critics and raised bipartisan pressure for a new policy. "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home," said Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending and one of his party's top voices on military issues. Murtha's remarks followed a string of sharp attacks by President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney against critics of their Iraq-war policy and handling of prewar intelligence. Rule #1 in Rove Political Strategy Manual: Attack your critics and compare them to either Jane Fonda, Michael Moore, or Islamic terrorists. As performed by noted Whitehouse spokesmonkey Puffy McMoo...

I recently found myself 'banned' over at Let Our Voices Be Heard . Well, not really banned, but 'deleted'. It seems that the nice little old lady running the blog was patently offended when I brought up Kerry and McCain's military career versus that of Bush and Co... which, like a late night rerun of Who's the Boss, just isn't much to talk about. So, what is it about the truth that makes these people so mad? If you write an opinion blog and then open the floor for comments, can you reasonably expect to not get dissenting voices on your blog from time to time? And when you simply 'delete' their comments rather than argue their statements or dispute their facts, doesn't that make you look like the close-minded idiot? Here's what was said: I've been perusing Senator John McCain's website at :http://mccain.senate.gov/ and have concluded that Senator McCain isn't really a Republican. I've had my suspicions about this before,...