I can see it now...
Bush Administration Ignoring Clean Air Standards
Scientists Predict Spike in Air Pollution LevelsThe destructive power of hurricane Katrina was seemingly diminished by comparison today when EPA Administrator and Bush crony Stephen L. Johnson unleashed his full fury on the environment.
Using the pretense of weather-induced shortages of oil and gas, Johnson – known to be in the pocket of Big Oil – today suspended critical life-saving standards for sulphur and volatility in diesel fuel and gasoline. The suspension is allegedly scheduled to last through the 15th of September, though trusted sources say the "temporary" suspension is an obvious prelude to the permanent dismantling of clean air standards.
In a response, the Center for Science in the Public Interest announced their prediction that air pollution levels would skyrocket, soaring by an estimated 0.0004 percent.
"The none-too-subtle machinations of the Halliburton-Enron-Cheney axis are finally bearing their poisoned fruit," said one scientist, who explained the tie-dyed ski-mask he wore by suggesting he might otherwise meet with an untimely accident. "This hurricane is clearly the biggest put-up job in all of recorded history."
"Come the revolution," noted another scientist, boldly clad in an coordinated ensemble of "No Nukes" apparel, "the clean air standards will be returned to their pre-Bush levels, then we will continue to extend them. CO2 must be reduced, and if millions, or perhaps billions of people have to stop breathing in order to meet our clean air goals, well, that's a small price to pay for saving Mother Gaia."
"What about Kyoto?" added a third scientist, delicately emphasizing the point by pounding one of her Birkenstocks on the table. "We must end the national and global obsession with this 'liquid crack,' and if we have to force people to do without, it's only because we know best."
Bush administration officials declined to comment.
In related news, the sky is falling.
Beth of Yeah, Right, Whatever took a little road trip Monday...
... to Crawford, TX.
Someone recently asked me why more pro-WoT Gold Star Families don't speak up (against the group at Camp Casey, and against the anti-war protesters in general). I've been thinking about it, and (though R hasn't confirmed it) I think I have an idea. Most Gold Star Families, the ones who believe in what their children/spouses were doing with their lives, just want to be left in peace to mourn. They have faith in our country, and in the mission their family member was on. They don't want to be part of a movement.
Read about her trip here.
Describing Cindy Sheehan's current mental/emotional state:
"Munchausen-by-Casey"
Confederate Yankee, in a comment at Protein Wisdom.
I'm a slacker today, so I'll just do the meme thing. (Via Laurence.)
Anyway, here’s what you do. You go to the Music Outfitters website and type your high school graduation year into the search tool. Select the “list of the 100 most popular songs” and you will get the Raw Material for the next step in the process, which is to look through the list and decide which songs you hated, which ones you liked, and which one was your favorite.Post the list on your Online Journal,
striking throughthe songs you hated (or still hate) and boldfacing the ones you liked (or still like). Bold and underline your favorite song. No opinion? Leave it as-is.
There was an awful lot of (and a lot of awful) music in 1980. And now — as if you needed it — you get my opinion on the matter. You get to decide which sucks worse: the music of 1980, or my taste in music.
1. Call Me, Blondie
2. Another Brick In The Wall, Pink Floyd
3. Magic, Olivia Newton-John
4. Rock With You, Michael Jackson
5. Do That To Me One More Time, Captain and Tennille
6. Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Queen
7. Coming Up, Paul McCartney
8. Funkytown, Lipps, Inc.
9. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me, Billy Joel
10. The Rose, Bette Midler
11. Escape (The Pina Colada Song), Rupert Holmes
12. Cars, Gary Numan
13. Cruisin', Smokey Robinson
14. Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl, Spinners
15. Lost In Love, Air Supply
16. Little Jeannie, Elton John
17. Ride Like The Wind, Cristopher Cross
18. Upside Down, Diana Ross
19. Please Don't Go, K.C. and The Sunshine Band
20. Babe, Styx
21. With You I'm Born Again, Billy Preston and Syreeta
22. Shining Star, Manhattans
23. Still, Commodores
24. Yes, I'm Ready, Teri De Sario With K.C.
25. Sexy Eyes, Dr. Hook
26. Steal Away, Robbie Dupree
27. Biggest Part Of Me, Ambrosia
28. This Is It, Kenny Loggins
29. Cupid-I've Loved You For A Long Time, Spinners
30. Let's Get Serious, Jermaine Jackson
31. Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer, Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes
32. Sailing, Christopher Cross
33. Longer, Dan Fogelberg
34. Coward Of The County, Kenny Rogers
35. Ladies Night, Kool and The Gang
36. Take Your Time, S.O.S. Band
37. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer
38. Too Hot, Kool and The Gang
39. More Love, Kim Carnes
40. Pop Muzik, M
41. Brass In Pocket, Pretenders
42. Special Lady, Ray, Goodman and Brown
43. Send One Your Love, Stevie Wonder
44. The Second Time Around, Shalamar
45. We Don't Talk Anymore, Cliff Richard
47. Heartache Tonight , Eagles
48. Stomp, Brothers Johnson
49. Tired Of Toein' The Line, Rocky Burnette
50. Better Love Next Time, Dr. Hook
51. Him, Rupert Holmes
52. Against The Wind, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
53. On The Radio, Donna Summer
54. Emotional Rescue, Rolling Stones
55. Rise, Herb Alpert
56. All Out Of Love, Air Supply
57. Cool Change, Little River Band
58. You're Only Lonely, J.D. Souther
59. Desire, Andy Gibb
60. Let My Love Open The Door, Pete Townshend
61. Daydream Believer, Anne Murray
62. I Can't Tell You Why, Eagles
63. Don't Let Go, Isaac Hayes
64. Don't Do Me Like That, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
65. She's Out Of My Life, Michael Jackson
66. Fame, Irene Cara
67. Fire Lake, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
68. How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
69. Into The Night, Benny Mardones
70. Let Me Love You Tonight, Pure Prairie League
71. Misunderstanding, Genesis
72. An American Dream, Dirt Band
73. One Fine Day, Carole King
74. Dim All The Lights, Donna Summer
75. You May Be Right, Billy Joel
76. Hurt So Bad, Linda Ronstadt
77. Should've Never Let You Go, Neil Sedaka and Dara Sedaka
78. Pilot Of The Airwaves, Charlie Dore
79. Off The Wall, Michael Jackson
80. I Pledge My Love, Peaches and Herb
81. The Long Run, Eagles
82. Stand By Me, Mickey Gilley
83. Heartbreaker, Pat Benatar
84. Deja Vu, Dionne Warwick
85. Drivin' My Life Away, Eddie Rabbitt
86. Take The Long Way Home, Supertramp
87. Sara, Fleetwood Mac
88. Wait For Me, Daryl Hall and John Oates
89. Jo Jo, Boz Scaggs
90. September Morn, Neil Diamond
91. Give Me The Night, George Benson
92. Broken Hearted Me, Anne Murray
93. You Decorated My Life, Kenny Rogers
94. Tusk, Fleetwood Mac
95. I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince
96. In America, Charlie Daniels Band
97. Breakdown Dead Ahead, Boz Scaggs
98. Ships, Barry Manilow
99. All Night Long, Joe Walsh
100. Refugee, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
OK, so I didn't like very much.
Q: How do you know that an impending disaster is going to be really enormously catastrophically huge?
A: When you hear the phrase "when the dead begin to float" spoken as though it was the least of the survivors' worries.
Katrina is going to be a tough one. Good luck to the folks stuck in the Big Easy.
At The Jawa Report, commenter Rodney Dill beat me to the punchline in this most evil of caption contests.
Generally speaking, it might be the wiser course to give the cat her foul-tasting medication before getting dressed to go to work.
Cat hair – even black cat hair – does not blend in with black pants.
My work schedule has firmed up. I'm now a dedicated swing-shift guy. 3pm to midnight, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Good thing I'm a night owl.
Hey, someone has to mind the store while all the bigwigs are out golfing in the afternoons and carousing at night.
But I find it amusing that while my employer is the corporate scion of a highly organized communications entity, I still can't get a phone installed at my desk.
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission has come out with their final list of recommended closures. North Carolina stands to gain quite a bit by the proposed realignment.
I don't care. Enough already. Stop closing bases we may need in the future. Keeping them open is worth the cost.
Peggy Noonan, as usual, says it best.
Sometimes, it's not all about the money, or shouldn't be.
Today is the 48th anniversary of my parents' wedding. Would that Dad were still here to enjoy the day.
Love ya, Mom.
Hot... melty cheese... a slice of onion... spicy mustard... man, there isn't anything better than hot pastrami on rye.
Except for paper-thin rare roast beef on fresh sourdough.
Oh... and a vast array of non-sandwich "better things." But as sandwiches go, pastrami rocks.
From my brother's home in Santa Barbara, a rare sight could be seen as the USS Ronald Reagan stopped to pay a visit over the weekend.
In an e-mail, my sister-in-law notes:
I wanted you to note that the ship is right in the ocean view of our house and it is FANTASTIC!
Real estate in Santa Barbara being what it is, that's probably a million-dollar view on any given day. Throw in a nuclear aircraft carrier, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.
The sailors are [superb] and it is great to see them in the downtown of SB. Many of the sailors took a special tour of the Reagan library in Simi Valley - a wonderful library, by the way! There is a lot of activity and excitement at the wharf as people are swarming for a view of the ship. We are glad it harbored here! It is a mile out and still looks huge!
(Apologies to Justin Hayward for using the title of his terrific solo album
Ninjababe has begun what could be the single largest trend in the history (such as it is) of blogging.
As if there could be any doubt:
File this under "just because I can."
How could you not love a face like Mycah's?
Update: Yes, I'm still at the office. I said I'd be working some unusual hours. I wasn't kidding.
Today I had what to my way of thinking was a pretty good and provocative Cindy Sheehan post written. But because I have been exceptionally busy transitioning into the new work situation, I only had time to scribble it out in my notebook during a 15-minute break early in the afternoon. I don't yet have a workstation (or even a desk) I can call my own.
I have no time at all to read during the day — not for the present, anyway — so I can't keep up with what's happening. I got home around 11 and decided to troll around for a few minutes to get a feel for what's been happening today.
Good thing I did. As much as I despise what Sheehan says, how she says it and who she says it with, I am not going to kick her when she's down. (Link via Malkin.)
Thanks for the warning, Beth.
Today was Day Three at The New Job.
It again struck me, as I closely observed my new colleagues dealing with the effects of the Zotob virus that struck yesterday, this truly is Geek Heaven.
What I found particularly striking was the sheer number of three- and four-letter acronyms being tossed about with reckless abandon, almost gleefully, and with a blissful unawareness of the inability of the new folks to follow along. How is that supposed to be helpful?
I figure a guy could make a mint by publishing a glossary. Coincidence or not, I think that's going to be one of my assignments.
Day One at the new employer... wow. If first appearances are any indication, this is going to be quite exciting, with a lot of hands-on work with advanced technologies in important environments.
I do believe I have entered Nerdvana.
There's one particular thing that strikes me about the entire Cindy Sheehan to-do: the invasion of Iraq began over two years ago, and it's taken this long for the hardcore moonbat Left to find a Gold Star mother who would front for them in a very public way.
There are approximately 1,800 mothers who have lost a son or daughter* in Iraq, and Michael Moore's Marching Moonbat Mob has been able to find one mother willing to seek such notoriety.†
I'll be generous and allow that the Left might have 100 or more such parents to trot out on demand. The numbers nevertheless speak for themselves.
More (and more ably done) commentary here, here, here, here, and here. Particularly noteworthy is the post at Iraq the Model.
* They are sons and daughters, but most assuredly not children. The loaded question "would you send your child to die?" is disingenuous on every level. They are neither children nor chattel, and they are not sent in order to die. Every person serving in the military is a volunteer, and though we know some will inevitably die in service to their country — in combat, in accidents — "we purpose not their deaths when we purpose their services."
If I had a son of military age, I would be proud beyond my ability to describe, if he were to choose to serve his country in the military.
† At last count there were approximately 60 families involved with Gold Star Families for Peace, but none who have allowed themselves to be used by the anti-American Left to quite the extent Cindy Sheehan has.
Don't you hate it when you really really need to use the bathroom first thing in the morning, but you have to wait for someone else to finish?
Why wait? Didn't your mother teach you to share?
Lou and Bubba obviously learned.
Be sure to check out the Friday Ark.
Due to some real-world career matters, posting may be a bit light for a while.
I've decided to accept a reasonably lucrative offer that came pretty much out of the blue from a Very Large Provider Of Network Services Which Shall Remain Unnamed. I'll be in training all week next week, and thereafter I'll be working some unusual hours. I have no idea what effect this might have on my already-sparse posting.
This new position takes my career in a slightly different direction, but I'm eager to make all of it that I can.
But, dang... now I have stock my wardrobe with chinos and polo shirts.
It could have been worse — it could have been suits and ties.
Chris Johnson of Midwest Conservative Journal links to a must-read column by conservative filmmaker Jason Apuzzo.
Hollywood has chosen sides in the war against islamofascism. It's not our side.
"American Dreamz." This ’satire’ from Universal Pictures deals with Pakistani suicide bombers out to kill the US president. The film stars Hugh Grant, Richard Dreyfuss, Willem Dafoe and Mandy Moore. According to writer-director Paul Weitz ("American Pie"), "The film is a comic examination of ... cultural obsessions" like the War on Terror "and how they can anaesthetise us to the actual issues of our day."
"The actual issues of our day" according to Weitz [a name the islamonazis would surely take note of] do not, apparently, include the concern that there are people out there who would just as soon decapitate everyone in Hollywood as look at them.
And that's just one of many like-minded movies in the production sewer pipe pipeline. The movie studios have apparently decided to disregard their customers' sensibilities (and that whole "profit" thing) for the sake of better reviews from the likes of Roger Ebert and the accolades of Eurotrash nancy-boys at Cannes (and the Eurotrash-wannabee nancy-boys at Sundance.) They prefer to make anti-American propaganda than to risk the chance that a pro-American film might be seen as supporting President Bush. One wonders what they would be doing if Kerry had been elected.
Either way, John Wayne wouldn't have put up with crap like that.
To take the late Douglas Adams slightly out of context, people like those who green-lighted these projects are "a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes." And they'll have no idea why anyone should be so upset.
Russell Wardlow has more commentary.
[Updated]
When Columbia was lost 2½ years ago, one of the first reactions of the insane far left was "MIHOP," the idea being that President Bush had conspired towards the destruction of the shuttle (possibly with the intent of blaming sabotage for the tragedy) in order to raise the general patriotism and Israel-friendliness (due to the loss of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon) of the country in the run-up preceeding Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Now that we are sufficiently distracted by the shuttle disaster....What's bush up to?
I am not afraid to say this -
Heavens, why not? Don't you know we're coming to get you?†
I guess bush's SOTU speech went over so poorly, he needed a disaster to distract us from his horrible actions and lies.I am getting sick of this bull. How many more Americans must die for bush to look legit? How often will he need to kill to keep up his legitimacy?
How convenient that the first Israeli citizen was on the shuttle, too. Everybody rally behind Sharon and don't question or speak against him, either.
Sick, utterly sick. And monstrous... and demented, in the most etymologically literal sense of the word.
Today, at least, the worst that can be said of them so far is that they're joking about a woman driver missing the mark by 3000 miles.
So far – the day is young.
Update, 6:50pm: The infighting there is mostly about what might be broadly described as "women's accomplishments" it's a hoot. But I honestly expected there to be some sort of Bush/Rove-oriented conspiracy-mongering, along the lines of "well, they didn't need dead astronauts this month for their political ends, but it's lucky for the Discovery crew that they flew now instead of before [political event X]."
The DUmmies really are insane.
* "Made it happen on purpose."
† The brave souls at DU repeatedly advertise their lack of fear, as if some sort of Rove-controlled hit squad was out there "disappearing" people who speak their minds. That's how completely insane some of them are over there.
Today would be a good day to re-read Bill Whittle's Courage.
One of my pet "netiquette" peeves is hotlinking. I have a few images on this site that are regularly hotlinked (this post is popular... people use the Berkeley whacko image as an avatar in forums), and so every once in a while I rename the image file and put in a substitute that briefly makes my opinion on the matter fairly clear:
Someone over at the epicenter of left-wing stupidity*, the Daily Kos, hotlinked an image from Joe Sherlock – a distinctly unwise thing to do, given Joe's ability to drop a new image in the old one's place.
Just in case it drops into the memory hole over there, I saved a snapshot:
Couldn't have said it better myself.
(Seen at Michelle Malkin and LGF)
* The center of left-wing insanity, on the other hand, is Democratic Underground, into which fever swamp I am extraordinarily reluctant to tread, even under the best of circumstances. I always feel like I need to be disinfected when I go there. John Hawkins provides a sample. Those people are certifiable.
There's wrong, and then there's wrong.
This isn't just wrong – this is WRONG:
DONALD RUMSFELD IN A SPEEDO
... Sec. of Defense armed & dangerous!By GEORGE SANFORD
SECRETARY of Defense Donald Rumsfeld got caught with his pants down during his recent surprise trip to Iraq -- when a chambermaid snapped a photo of him cavorting in his hotel room in a skimpy Speedo-type swimsuit!
In memory of Edloe, the "It Cat" of the 'sphere, Laurence Simon is fundraising/marathon-blogging for the Cat Welfare Society of Israel today.
Check out his main page [rated R for occasional bad language] and scroll, scroll, scroll.
Update: Mycah approves.
Pro athletes aren't always jerks:
Players rally around child after grandfather collapsesCINCINNATI - Cincinnati Reds players rallied around a 6-year-old boy after his grandfather collapsed in the stands.
"We just tried to make a bad situation a little better," said outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.
While paramedics were working on the grandfather, security officer Bill Summee took the boy to the Reds bullpen. The Reds did not release the name of the grandfather, who died Wednesday night of an apparent heart attack.
The boy, identified as Antonio Perez of Hamilton, sat with players for the last two innings of the game, and Griffey went and got him when the game ended. The boy participated in the Reds' high-fives celebrating their 8-5 victory over Atlanta, and he then joined the players in the clubhouse.
Clubhouse manager Rick Stowe said the Reds showered the boy with bats, wristbands, and autographed baseballs. Shortstop Felipe Lopez gave him the batting helmet, autographed, that Lopez wore in this year's All-Star game.
The players kept the boy distracted until his parents arrived.
A tough day for the kid, perhaps made a bit better by the kindness of strangers.
"We play a game," Griffey said. "What he was going through doesn't compare. It was important that the little guy not be by himself."
That is perspective. I'm glad to see it hasn't disappeared.
(via Fark)
What a prize to show for her life of toil,
A bus that runs on vegetable oil;
To keep it running will prove no strain,
Run a fuel line from her peanut brain.
As once again she shows us all
How wrong we are and how we'll fall.
She'll grant no quarter, cut no slack,
Get her picture taken on a camel's back.
Jihad Jane will show us once again,
She's smarter than all the President's men;
I doubt Sun Tzu could tell us more
Than Jihad Jane when it comes to war;
She'll save the world, bold Barbarella,
More wily and wise than any Army fella.
While she fancies herself truly Machiavellian
A more apt description is piggy Orwellian.
It's true Jane could write an encyclopedia
On fooling the drooling mainstream media.
Princes of primetime breathlessly follow;
Sputum she spouts they eagerly swallow.
Trumpet her tripe as trustworthy truth,
Pushing her pap down the throats of our youth.
Reporters will climb right on down in that sewer,
Covering every mile of Jane's veggie-fueled tour.
While wiser minds wait, holding their breath,
Warily wondering just how much death
All her agitprop antics will incite this time,
And whose lives will be forfeit for one fool's crime.
In most scripts of life, we become wiser with age;
But this airhead actress cannot get to that page.
So she'll be well remembered, as well she should,
As the dumbest damned broad in Hollywood.
Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Infantry
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66
(Via e-mail from the author, with a hat tip to Ollie North for the title.)
Ok, no, I don't have a secret. Not about the Federalist Society, anyway.
Perhaps the mainstream media wouldn't think the FedSoc was so secretive:
- if any members of the press or anyone in their social circles were members of the society
- if the press actually bothered to pay the Federalist Society the same level of respectful attention when there isn't a Supreme Court nomination pending that they pay to the ACLU on an ordinary everyday basis.
or
(Via Michelle)
A big jet airliner, 309 souls aboard, crashes on landing and there at no fatalities? None? Not one?
Thankfully, even the plane crashes in Canada are boring.
I like to think of myself as a fairly well-educated fellow, as far as the arts are concerned. I'm not an expert of any kind, but I appreciate good music when I hear it, particularly classical music, and I think I have at least a passing familiarity with most of the noteworthy composers.
Every now and then, however, I discover the work of a particular artist or composer I'd never heard (or perhaps simply not noticed) before. One such is Vaughan Williams.
While watching the film Master And Commander I was struck by the quality of the soundtrack, but I assumed that all the music therein was of the period depicted in the film (early 1800s) or was composed specifically for the film. I was surprised, then, to learn that the one piece of music in the film that most caught my attention was in fact composed in 1910.
Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is simply the most stunning "new-found" piece of music I have heard in a very very long time. How it has escaped my attention over the years is a complete mystery to me.
Perhaps adding to the evocative power of the piece is the way in which it was used in the film. At a critical point, the Captain must choose to sacrifice the life of one of his crew in order to save the ship. He acts quickly, but not alone; he enlists the aid of another crewman – the doomed man's best friend. As death approaches for the unfortunate sailor at the hands of his Captain and of his friend, Vaughan's Fantasia swells, and is enough to make the viewer forget to breathe.
Yes, it's that powerful.
Not a believer? Here's a sound clip: Download file (440Kbytes, 56 seconds – sorry, I had to cut the sample rate down to conserve space. The bass doesn't come through too well, I'm afraid.)
As chance would have it, after I clipped the sound file last night and before I finished writing this "review," Esgaroth over at Tributaries posted her take on the matter, complete with some very good links to information on the Fantasia and on Tallis' original work. It's well worth checking out.
In the future, I intend to listen to a good deal more of Williams' work.
I don't go in much for Hollywood "fan-dom." Entertainers are (or should be) just that: people hired to entertain us, not people over whom to swoon. [I'd consider making an exception for Emily Procter.]
There have, however, been a few entertainers – actors, athletes, and so on – I've admired for one reason or another. For as long as I can remember, Jimmy Stewart was one of those.
Was it because I enjoyed every single film of his I ever saw? Maybe that played into it... but I've enjoyed every Errol Flynn movie I've seen, and I am not an Erroll Flynn fan, as such. More likely, it was because I learned early on that Stewart had set aside his Hollywood career during World War 2 to be a B-17 pilot – a decidedly hazardous occupation. Other things I learned about his off-screen life only reinforced my conception of the man.
[By purest coincidence, Stewart and my father died on the same day: July 2, 1997. Because of that, I feel what would be considered an irrational connection to the man. I have this mental picture of Dad and Jimmy meeting up at the Pearly Gates....]
Now, new revelations that Stewart was doing a bit of work for the FBI – in an era when there really were communists trying to take over Hollywood – only adds to the high regard in which I hold him (despite the article's obvious negative slant.)
There really were communists in Hollywood. They really were trying to take over. They really were enemies of America.
Too many people have forgetten that.
Now we have Oliver Stone, Michael Moore and Sean Penn.
What we could really use is another Jimmy Stewart.
(via Ace.)
(More at PoliPundit.)
Imperial Department of Hegemony By Force
