HUH???

Okay, I recognize Nancy Pelosi...but who is that chubby-faced guy next to her? He kinda....no...no way...uh...sorta looks like...huh???? Oh no! NOT NEWT!

I mean...I support finding other sources of energy to make us less dependent upon nations who sponsor terrorism, and I do like drinking clean water and breathing clean air... but to cave in on junk science theories is abominable at best.

Newt needs to take a breather and find himself....or do something to make himself relevant again. Going nuts like Dhimmi Carter will not win the hearts and minds of the Conservative base. Losing "Dreamboat Annie" (Coulter) to the Hillary camp is bad enough, but I don't think she has crossed over or become touched.*


* see Grapes of Wrath
(Muley was touched)

UPDATE: Newt Gingrich responds to criticism of the ad HERE. He states that conservatives must be involved in the debate or the liberals will have it their way. Funny, that ad did not sound like much of a debate to me.

Got Personal Issues...

I don't usually discuss personal issues on this blog, but here is the reason I haven't posted much. Been a little distracted lately with news from my employer regarding my cat, Buster. Click HERE to read the story.

UPDATE: Buster and other existing pets get grandfathered in. Buster stays!

Pope Entertained By U.S. Army Chorus

Please enjoy this...

Things are in such termoil at the present, that I am unable to do any serious blogging. Thank the Lord I don't do this for a living. God bless you all.

Pope Benedict Speaks In Washington DC

Today in Washington D.C., Pope Benedict addressed nine US cardinals and 350 bishops and told them that basically, Americans are not living their faith. He said the following:

"Faith becomes a passive acceptance that certain things 'out there' are true, but without practical relevance for everyday life," he said. "The result is a growing separation of faith from life, living 'as if God did not exist.'"

Since it's getting late (for me, past my bedtime), I will simply refer you to the article HERE, where he said much more...

Bardot Fined For Speaking Her Mind

"I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country and imposing its acts.”

The above statement about Muslims has gotten retired sex-symbol/actress, Brigitte Bardot in some hot water (2 month suspended prison sentence and 15,000 Euro fine) in her home country of France, where freedom of speech is allowed but with some exceptions. She made the comment recently after being fined on four other occasions for inciting racial hatred---one of those exceptions.

Bardot, an animal rights activist, criticized the Muslim tradition of Eid al-adha, which involves the slaughtering of sheep (or similar animals) to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice of his son. In this day and age one could hardly blame her for being upset.

France is home to 5 million Muslims making up 8% of their population. Can you imagine what it must be like watching your own country being overrun with people who have an 8^th Century frame of mind and penchant for sacrificing animals en mass? Not to mention the fact that not only do they refuse to assimilate, but their goal is to make you change your customs and traditions to match theirs? Some of us here have issues with Mexicans who come to America and refuse to assimilate, or even learn English. But this is far worse, yes, even worse than the Reconquista movement. Recent polls revealed that Muslim immigrants to the US have rather moderate views about their religion, while the children of these immigrants (usually born here) have adopted much more extreme beliefs.

I propose an actor/actress swap with France, as some of our actors have, in the past, expressed an interest in moving there. We’ll take Brigitte Bardot, and France can have all of ours. God’s speed.

(Hat tip: Culture Wire and Blonde Sagacity I forget where I saw it first)

Mozilla!

I've noticed a tendency for Internet Explorer 6 or even 7 to stumble while trying to show my blog or most other Blogger blogs by Google. Either the pictures don't display properly or the videos (esp. You Tube) don't play.

The solution, as I see it, is to use Mozilla's Firefox browser. Download it HERE for free, and watch all your troubles disappear. Bugs you used to blame on your computer's hard drive will be seen as they really are, IE byproducts.

Obama Plunges 20% In Pennsylvania

A new poll was released this morning by The American Research Group showing significant damage done to Barack Obama in Pennsylvania over offensive comments made Friday about small town residents in that state. The neck-and-neck standings have changed to a 20 percentage point lead by Hillary Clinton, 57% to 37% with 4% undecided, and a surprisingly small 2% wanting someone else.

The comments by Obama were made at a San Francisco fundraiser, in an enclosed area where Obama, no doubt, felt comfortable. Here is a quote:

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Speaking as a recently transplanted small town Pennsylvanian, I can honestly say that I believe, based upon the facts of the story, that Obama must have been speaking from his heart, being that he was among friends. His elitism seems typical of the Democrat party who these days seem only to appeal to some self-proclaimed intellectuals along with most minorities in large cities, with whom they avoid direct contact. What strange bedfellows these are. And how awkward it must seem for Barack Hussein Obama to be both a member of an avoided minority AND someone with a pampered upbringing. It still looks like he will win the nomination (but much too early to count out the Clinton machine!), and this could be a good thing for Republicans, at least in PA. The rest of the country still shows Obama leading Clinton in the polls at 50% to 41% as of yesterday.

Girls Will Be Boys...And Boys Won't Be Much At All

Most people have seen this footage on line or in the news on TV more extensively than here. And most people agree that it's shocking. I do not. Call me calloused, but it is my humble opinion that this sort of behavior from girls is something we should learn to expect if current trends continue. Note I said expect but not accept.

When societal mores are challenged and/or changed, even through good intentions, we should not be shocked at the negative fall-out that accompanies it. Through the last century and into this one, women in the western hemisphere have been encouraged to become more self-sufficient, bold, and assertive. They have been encouraged to compete with men at all levels and target leadership positions in every facet of society. This, without question, is a good thing.

But there have also been some disturbing trends. Young, school-age girls are displaying an aggressiveness today unheard of 20 years ago. Fist-fights and dog-piling have become rather common, even before You Tube or MySpace made themselves available for posting such activity. But the trends are not limited to fighting. Girls are also emulating their male counterparts in the form of sexual aggression. Carol Platt Liebau goes into much detail about the sexualizing of young girls in her new book, Prude.

By contrast, there has been an effort to instill feminine qualities in boys, such as "gentleness, compassion, tenderness, and others." And it could be argued that this has been done successfully, and that to some degree boys are better men for it. The hope, it would seem, is for men to be less likely to solve problems with violence, which would lead to fewer wars. Good intentions, I'm sure.

But the fallout from this "feminization" appears to be manifesting itself in slacker behavior and avoidance of leadership positions among today's men. This result, coupled with a trend towards poor academic achievement for boys, due in large part to teacher neglect for seeing girls as an endangered species, will hurt the country. In the 21st century both female and male leaders will be needed to tackle huge problems yet unseen, but a generation of men living in their old bedrooms at their parents' homes while working only part-time at minimum wage jobs will drag heavily on society.

What is needed is a non-politicized assessment of the true differences, both physical and mental, between boys and girls, and then educate them appropriately. And the education must be done in such a way as to not treat either like an inferior to the other, nor to allow the exploitation of in sexual terms. There has been quite enough of that, and they are both suffering from it.

The Ant And The Grasshopper (Revised)

This has been making its way around the web and finally found its way here. From my bro:

Two Different Versions! Two Different Morals!

OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

-------------------------------------------

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others
are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so ?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome". Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2008.

Pro-Life Display At NKU...Hurry While It Lasts!

Today and tomorrow only! A pro-life display at a public university, no doubt, is open for public viewing at Northern Kentucky University with guest speakers and large photos at Highland Heights, KY, near Cincinnati, OH.

Read all about it by clicking HERE.

I didn't know freedom of speech still stretched to public universities. Well, thats great!

God Bless The Cactus Cuties

Here is something that should inspire. The Cactus Cuties sing the National Anthem.

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed

This You Tube video will take a while to load, so please be patient. It is worth the wait.

Ben Stein stars in his own documentary, which looks very good btw, about the persecution of scientists and academics who dare to argue in favor of Intelligent Design.

After so many anti-Iraq war films and other downer flicks for the past several years (like No Country For Old Men), it will be nice to return to the movie theaters for something that doesn't offend or insult my sensibilities. A one-time movie buff, I haven't been to a movie theater since The Passion Of The Christ. And not for a while before that.

Uncomfortable Questions Lead To Uncomfortable Conclusions

Years ago, before the 1980 election, former Presidents were usually referred to as "former President (Whomever)," be he Nixon, Ford, Johnson, or even Truman. When they died the "former" was dropped. So at President Truman's funeral in 1972 he was referred to then and thereafter as "President Truman" again.

But after Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 election, something changed. I recall he appeared on Donahue shortly after President Reagan was inaugurated, where everyone in the audience who Phil ran to with the microphone called him "President Carter" or "Mr. President," and he would smile and nod before answering their question. It was obvious the audience members were told to do this, quite probably as a stipulation for Carter's appearance on the show. And one had to wonder if Carter refused to accept the reality that he lost the election, for it was later discovered that Carter felt that the Republicans stole it.

Not long after, an Iranian official stated that George H. W. Bush visited with representatives of the Iranian government in the Summer of 1980 in Paris to convince the Iranians to hold onto the American hostages until after the next President is inaugurated. This was supposedly done to ensure the defeat of Jimmy Carter by making him look inept. Messrs Reagan and Bush categorically denied the entire affair occurred. But it cast some doubt on then Vice President Bush, and much suspicion about President Reagan was fomented by Jimmy Carter and many Democrats.

I've been very suspicious myself, not of Bush or Reagan, but of Democrats who seemed to put party ahead of national security ever since 9-11. The rhetoric spewed by Democrats like Senator Edward Kennedy and others seems to have energized the Iraqi insurgents and other terrorists, and prolonged what should have been a much shorter war by giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The Democrats are clearly invested in defeat for our troops, and cannot hope to win if the Bush policy succeeds.

With all that in mind, I have some rather uncomfortable questions to ask.

Why did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pay a visit to Syria against the wishes of the Bush administration?

Why do Democrats not want the telecoms to have immunity from prosecution for allowing the government to eavesdrop on conversations between people in foreign nations and people here in the US? Are the Democrat leaders contacting terrorists abroad via phone to negotiate a separate peace?

Why is FORMER President Jimmy Carter planning a visit to Syria in the middle of this month to visit with Khaled Meshal, the leader of the terrorist group, Hamas? Is he hoping to set up some kind of overseas Habitat For Hamas? Can the fool still not accept that he is no longer President? Does he not see he will be an impediment to victory in the war on terror by legitimizing those who should not be?

Or is there another reason for his visit?

It would be ridiculous to assume that Jimmy Carter is no longer bitter over the "stolen" election of 1980. So is it payback time?

All are very fair questions for people behaving in such a way...

Charlton Heston Goes Home

Absolut Ad Pulled

The makers of Absolut Vodka, whether they be the soon-to-be-owners (French) or the soon-to-not-be-owners (Swedish), pulled the very offensive ad showing a map of pre-Mexican War borders with the title, In An Absolut World. This was done in no small part due to the outrage expressed in blogs across the country.

One complaint worth noting likened the Mexican ad to a supposed German ad campaign called "Deutschland Uber Alles", in which there would be "a map showing all of Europe and Russia under the swastika moniker of the Third Reich."

Here is the latest apology (there were two):

[We apologize

Posted Sunday, April 06, 2008, 7:38:29 PM
During the weekend we have received several comments on the ad published in Mexico. We acknowledge the reactions and debate and want to apologize for the concerns this ad caused. We are truly sorry and understand that the ad has offended several persons. This was not our intention. The ad has been withdrawn as of Friday April 4th and will not be used in the future.

In no way was the ad meant to offend or disparage, or advocate an altering of borders, lend support to any anti-American sentiment, or to reflect immigration issues.

To ensure that we avoid future similar mistakes, we are adjusting our internal advertising approval process for ads that are developed in local markets.

This is a genuine and sincere apology,

By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits]

Please note that last sentence about it being a genuine and sincere apology. It needed to be said after the first one. See it below:

[The In An Absolut World advertising campaign invites consumers to visualize a world that appeals to them — one they feel may be more idealized or one that may be a bit “fantastic.” As such, the campaign will elicit varying opinions and points of view. We have a variety of executions running in countries worldwide, and each is germane to that country and that population.

This particular ad, which ran in Mexico, was based upon historical perspectives and was created with a Mexican sensibility. In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues. Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal.

As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market. Obviously, this ad was run in Mexico, and not the US — that ad might have been very different.

By Paula Eriksson, VP Corporate Communications, V&S Absolut Spirits]

Well, I can see why this one didn't work. It helps to apologize in an apology.

An Old Pro-Abortion Argument Gets A Make-Over

Barack Hussein Obama recently referred to having babies as a punishment. This would be consistent with other things he's said and done on reproductive issues. It would also seem to be consistent with the liberal, pro-choice (<--so called) position on abortion, which I believe is primarily based in fear, whether it's fear of loss of liberty, fear of failure, or fear of the loss of monetary prosperity due to the cost of raising children. How unfortunate that unborn babies are caught up in such desperate rationalizations, where they can be demonized and/or dehumanized for mere convenience's sake.

And with this in mind I'd like to direct your attention to Matt Kaufman's latest column called Intruder Alert, about some variant forms of some very horrid pro-abortion arguments so warped they become difficult to address...but not too difficult for Mr. Kaufman. Here are a couple of excerpts from the column-- the arguments in favor of abortion rights.

First the old one:

[McDonagh didn't bother to deny that a fetus is a person. Instead, she argued that a fetus is, in effect, a criminal — a "powerful intruder" guilty of "kidnapping" a woman and holding her hostage for nine months — and thus could be dispatched like any violent assailant. "The fetus is not innocent," she wrote, "but instead aggressively intrudes on a woman's body so massively that deadly force is justified to stop it."]

And then the newer argument:

[The argument is this: It doesn't matter at what point a fertilized egg becomes a zygote or a zygote a fetus or a fetus a baby. Personhood is irrelevant. The state simply does not have the right to require any citizen to use their body to keep another citizen alive, much less for nine months. The state can't force us to donate blood or organs. The state can't make us sign up for bone marrow registries. If we choose to do these things, it is noble and good, but we still would never tolerate, as a society, being forced to do so. How much less, then, should we tolerate the state forcing women to use their bodies to keep other people alive for nine full months, with all the risks and permanent changes in the body this entails? How is this permissible if women are fully functioning moral agents with all the rights of citizenship and not state-owned incubators?]

You will have to click on the link HERE to see his response to them.

Matt Kaufman writes for Boundless Webzine, a website of Focus On The Family.

Absolut-ly Shameful

It would appear that Absolut, the company famous for making over-priced vodka, is trying to market its product by fanning the flames of resentment south of the border (as well as North in some neighborhoods) over an obsolete war long ago fought.

What do I mean by obsolete war? It means that things have happened since then that make the border redrawing somewhat irrelevant. Not to spend too much time or space on this, but Mexicans seem to forget that over 25 years after their war with us, the French under Napoleon III invaded Mexico and took the capitol. And it was the US, immediately after our own Civil War, who sent troops into Mexico to chase out the French. So if not for us, there would be no Spanish spoken here, only English and French. But I digress.

Absolut has just come out with this incendiary ad campaign after Monday's sale of Swedish company Vin & Spirit, to Pernod Ricard SA, a French liquor company. How very French of them to take advantage of our increasingly tense relationship with Mexico (and Mexican-Americans here illegally) just to sell booze. The last time some other entity tried to offer up the Southwest to Mexico we entered the First World War. Remember the Zimmermann telegram?

If you wish to view Absolut's new ad, you can visit Michelle Malkin's site (when Blogger allows me to post pics again, you will see it here. I love Blogger.com). The ad seems to imply that if you drink enough of their crummy Vodka, the map of North America will appear to change more to a Mexican's liking. Check it out and then contact the New York office with your justified rage:

Jeffrey Moran

Director of Public Relations and Events

The Absolut Spirits Company, Inc.

1370 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10019

USAPhone, direct: +1 212 641 87 20

E-mail: jeffrey.moran@absolut.com

Poor Jeffrey.

(Hat tip to Michelle Malkin)

___________________________________

4-4-08

UPDATE and CORRECTION:

First the update. Jeffrey Moran is getting rather annoyed at all the phone calls, and is referring people to the new owner (his words), Pernod Ricard, at 914-848-4800 where they don't like answering the phone. Also, Michelle Malkin reports that the ad agency is located in Mexico City and is called Teran\TBWA. Big surprise there.

And now the correction. A reader calling himself Patrick has taken issue with my reporting that Absolut was purchased by Pernod Ricard. This is what I found reported in the article to which I linked. Upon further research I found Patrick's claim that Vin & Spirit only accepted the bid from Pernod Ricard was true. The actual purchase is to be finalized in the Summer. Read it here. So much for splitting hairs. Actually I do appreciate constructive criticism from readers, and cannot wait for Patrick to start posting on his blog....

________________________________

________________________________

Truckers And Trojans (Virus, That Is)

There are a couple of things I'd like to touch on.

First of all, I've been away from the keyboard due to another Trojan virus which caused me to once again format my entire hard drive and start all over again. I'm just about up to speed, but need a few more plug-ins to be at full strength. If only I could remember all of them.

Secondly,... I wanted everyone to know that the trucker shutdown/slowdown came off today with mixed results. So far as I can tell, not nearly as many truckers shutdown/sloweddown today as threatened, if the traffic around eastern PA was any indication. But a certain number of them did so. And I would say it was a smaller number than the public expected (based upon media hoopla), but a much larger number than most truckers expected.

Frankly, since deregulation in the 1980's most truckers haven't been able to come together to do anything en mass. So, as a trucker,...I am somewhat proud of my fellow drivers for their attempt today...to do something.

My own role in this shutdown/slowdown was to drive only 220 miles, and to do it as slowly as I could stand. And why not? I paid $4.07 per gallon for diesel today.