Why do you ask, Pooping Bear?

I'm not trying to make any of you guys jealous, but I have to say that I got the best present this year from my wife who always gets me the coolest loot imaginable, hands-down.

Cool tho' it be, it's a runner up to the Scarface "say-hello-to-my-little-friend" boxer shorts―complete with machine gun―that she bought be a few years back. I don't think she'll ever top that gift. The humor works at so many levels.

A letter from Bishop Joseph Goebbels

Pretty apro-freaking-pos, methinks.

From Bishop Joseph Goebbels D.D.

I am writing on behalf of the Church of Adolf Hitler (pbuh), formerly known as the Nazi Party.

Having decided to transform ourselves into a religion, we have abandoned all worldly ambitions, and intend to concentrate on our higher spiritual objectives of non-violent global conquest, compassionate enslavement of inferior peoples, and peaceful extermination of the Jews.

Since we are now a religion rather than a political movement, we demand the following rights and privileges appropriate to our new identity:

- An end to Naziphobia in the media, especially war films showing the Nazis in a bad light.

- Tax exemption for all places of worship including airfields, munitions factories, extermination camps etc.

- Destruction of all blasphemous cartoons of Adolf Hitler(pbuh) produced in the Second World War.

- An apology from the British government for the campaign of Naziphobia waged by Winston Churchill, and the hurt feelings inflicted on the Afrika Korps at El Alamein by the Naziphobic bigot Montgomery.

- An apology from the American government for the insensitivity by the raging Naziphobe Eisenhower in failing to forewarn Nazi community leaders of the D-Day landings, which caused much distress among the peaceloving Nazis holidaying in Northern France.

- Burning 'Mein Kampf' must become a hate crime punishable by hanging with piano wire.

- Application of our parallel legal system known as 'The Gestapo' must be enforced in so-called 'democratic' countries.

- We demand affirmative action, in the interests of community cohesion, to promote Nazis to high positions in the security services.

- We demand government funding for the expansion of our youth activities, which play a vital role in keeping the younger generation out of trouble, and concentrate their minds on wholesome activities such as rallies, processions, camps, pogroms etc.

- The occasional Blitzkrieg invasions of sovereign states must not be portrayed in the media as being typical of Nazis as a whole, since this leads to Naziphobia. Rather they must be shown to be the work of a tiny minority of extremists who have hijacked a peaceful spiritual movement.

Peace in our time and Heil Hitler!
- Bishop Joseph Goebbels

The Tale of BeoBilly

Tony Esolen On Mythical Candidates

Tony Esolen left an eloquent comment on Deal Hudson's defense of Archbishop Dolan and Bill Donohue which speaks perfectly for nearly all of us informed practicing Catholics. There is really only one choice in any given political race, and that is whether to vote for a Republican or not to vote at all. The comment is about halfway down the page; here's an excerpt:

They are allergic to the full and vibrant interplay of religious faith and public life; they are the ones who would sue, or who would look the other way while someone else sued, if a football coach -- horrors -- should join with his team before a game in prayer;

Want more? They do not believe that the family is PRIOR to the state, and has legitimate rights that the State must recognize; they do not, therefore, believe in free association (see the Boy Scouts again), the freedom upon which the Catholic principle of subsidiarity is based.

I'm a Catholic father and homeschooler, and I think I know my enemies.

But even if I am wrong about this, and I had a choice between voting for your two mythical candidates, I would apply my Principle of the Autobahn. Candidate A is worthless; Candidate B would build the Autobahn and fix the economy and make us all proud of ourselves again and round up innocent people to be incarcerated (and then gassed or starved or shot).

I vote for Candidate A, or I stay home. I will not vote for a Nazi. I will not vote for a pro-abortion candidate, period. That's not single-issue voting. It's a filter, or a block. If you served me a plate of French cuisine with excrement on it, well, I'd decline the honor of the meal; and it would not be single-entree dining, either. You give me two reasonable people with the moral sensibility of the average retriever, and then I'll have a genuine choice. Give me Al Smith and Herbert Hoover, and then I'll have things to think about.

Many people know that the "single-issue voter" accusation is a canard, but Mr. Esolen succinctly explains why the behavior unfairly labeled thus is actually more thoughtful than the "enlightened" liberal approach.

Another thought: I agree partially with those who cast blame at the Republican Party for not doing more when in power to fight legalized abortion. But I can't agree fully, mainly due to one thing: money. When a woman decides to abort, the revenue generated from the procedure lubricates the lobbying gears and helps fund the Democrat machine. If the same woman decides not to, the Republicans make $0. The deck is stacked.

Gideon Decorating the Tree

Gideon is almost four, and I thought this was a fairly good picture. It sure is better than the crap he was drawing 2 years ago.

Al Hirt Java and drunk dude in mini-mart

I love Al Hirt.

Laughable

The espionage community must be absolutely aghast after hearing about the military ban on removable media. They must be shivering in their boots. How will they do their spying stuff without being allowed to possess criminal tools such as removable media? Excerpt:

According to the report, Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, commander of Air Force Network Operations issued a "Cyber Control Order" on Dec. 3 instructing airmen to immediately stop using removable media on the Defense Department's secret network. The other branches of the military have reportedly received similar directives.

The order is a response to the leaking of thousands of classified diplomatic cables and documents to the whistleblower site WikiLeaks, which has come under international scrutiny for publishing the names of military and intelligence informants.

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who was arrested in May and charged in connection with the leaks, allegedly downloaded classified materials to a CD disguised as a Lady Gaga album.

This is so laughable. Let's court martial soldiers for having a digital camera in their possession. Digital camera's, as you know, use removable media. Let's go through everyone's CD collection and listen to every disk to make sure it's authentic. Full cavity searches for mini SD cards? We're all in--I'll take the women's line, thanks.

While we're at it, let's also ban guns to stop violent crime. Banning things always works so well.

Bill Donohue: "Stop funding the leisure of rich white people"

It is to LOL. William Donohue once again opens up a can of pure pwnage on the effete elites of the museum industrial complex. Here's the money paragraph:

In a large survey of museum-going households released in April, it was found that they are significantly better educated and affluent than the U.S. population; they are also overwhelmingly white. The time has come, then, to stop funding the leisure of rich white people: all public monies for the arts should cease. Quite frankly, to make the working class pay for the leisure of the rich amounts to class discrimination. In the spirit of social justice, a better case could be made to fund professional wrestling—it's what the working class enjoy.

"[A]ll public monies for the arts should cease." Yes, sir, I second that emotion, if for no other reason than this art sucks shit.

Global Warming Lunacists Face "Uphill Battle"

The global warming talks start off with an appeal to Ixchel, a Mayan moon goddess. Excerpt:

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, invoked the ancient jaguar goddess Ixchel in her opening statement to delegates gathered in Cancun, Mexico, noting that Ixchel was not only goddess of the moon, but also "the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you -- because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools."

She called for "a balanced outcome" which would marry financial and emissions commitments from industrialized countries aimed at combating climate change with "the understanding of fairness that will guide long-term mitigation efforts."

"Excellencies, the goddess Ixchel would probably tell you that a tapestry is the result of the skillful interlacing of many threads," said Figueres, who hails from Costa Rica and started her greetings in Spanish before switching to English. "I am convinced that 20 years from now, we will admire the policy tapestry that you have woven together and think back fondly to Cancun and the inspiration of Ixchel."

Ixchel is also the goddess of spreadsheet software and displaying one's buttocks. Strikes me as the Saint Jude of the pagan world. Seriously, maybe she can use her divine feminine charms to get the mean old sun god to cool down a tad. But I'm not going to suggest that to her. I've heard they have a complicated history, and my guess is they had a "falling out" a few million years ago.

Meanwhile, I've collected a number of spare nails I've found around my garage and will be donating them to be used on the coffin for the UN's credibility on all things related to climate change.

Offenbach on a dulcimer

I don't know why, but this is one of the tunes that constantly plays in my head. I'll be sitting at my desk, then suddenly I'm banging things around and can-canning.

George Weigel on the "Media Condomania"

I thought the Pope Benedict's remarks about condoms were completely understandable and non-controversial, But they've been sensationalized and misunderstood, so George Weigel has clarified the original remarks and provided the proper context for understanding them. Excerpt:

The first false assumption beneath the latest round of media condomania is that the Church’s settled teaching on sexual morality is a policy or a position that can change, as tax rates can be changed or one’s position on whether India should be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council can change. To be sure, the theological articulation of the Catholic ethic of sexual love has been refined over centuries; it has come to an interesting point of explication in recent years in John Paul II’s “theology of the body.” But it has not changed and it will not change because it cannot be changed. And it cannot change or be changed because the Catholic ethic of sexual love is an expression of fundamental moral truths that can be known by reason and are illuminated by revelation.

The second false assumption beneath the condom story is that all papal statements of whatever sort are equal, such that an interview is an exercise of the papal teaching magisterium. That wasn’t true of John Paul II’s international bestseller, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, in which the late pope replied to questions posed by Italian journalist Vittorio Messori. It wasn’t true of the first volume of Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth, in which the pope made clear at the outset that he was speaking personally as a theologian and biblical scholar, not as the authoritative teacher of the Church. And it isn’t true of Light of the World. Reporters who insist on parsing every papal utterance as if each were equally authoritative — and who often do so in pursuit of a gotcha moment — do no good service to their readers.

He goes on to list a third ludicrosity pertaining to the very concept of a pope announcing a major clarification in church teaching within the medium of an interview with a journalist.

I remember some idiots I knew in my teenage years discussing AIDS and how if they ever found out they were infected that they would try to pass it along to as many people with it as they could before they succumbed to the illness. This vampiric approach to sexual ethics would appear to be addressed be the Pope's remarks, and so it was the first thing which came to my mind. Obviously full repentance and turning away from an impure lifestyle is the goal, but moving toward responsibility and away from a video game approach to sexual relationships and subsequently to life itself can be seen as progress.

Also—whoever is surprised to discover that the Catholic Church believes that different sins have different degrees of evil has not been paying attention very well. We don't need to bring up Hitler to demonstrate this. Janet Smith's analogy referenced within the article is one of hundreds which may be easily produced by any person in the category of those who believe in the existence of objective morality. This group surely includes some journalists, one hopes.

WHAT IS OUR GOVERNMENT DOING IN AREA 51???!??!?

I've been watching Area 51 vids on Youtube. They're all funny, some inadvertently. The guys in this clip seem to get what Area 51 is really all about.



Oh, yeah, happy belated Thanksgiving. I'm planning to "quit cold turkey" since it's Friday, but I'll be chowing down on it tomorrow, you can bet your cranberries.

Where's Rod anyway?

Oh, here he is. Never mind.

Clouds in my coffee

I have often balked at focusing on the personal faults and failings of President Obama. After all, nobody's perfect, and it can take time away from concentrating on the horrible damage that the man's policies are causing.

Having said that, I think that Jonathan Last's "American Narcissus" article is a must-read. It illustrates the real consequences of Barack Obama's arrogance and vanity, like his absolute lack of bi-partisanship and his "in-house retirement" service in the Senate during which the American taxpayers paid him to write his second book. Furthermore, the article shows the amazing extent to which the man relates everything to his own persona and achievements, like when he gave the Queen of England an iPod pre-loaded with his famous speeches and pictures of him. Here's an excerpt his pathetic response to the fall of the Berlin Wall anniversary:

On November 9, 2009, Europe celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was kind of a big deal. They may not mention the Cold War in schools much these days, but it pitted the Western liberal order against a totalitarian ideology in a global struggle. In this the United States was the guarantor of liberty and peace for the West; had we faltered, no corner of the world would have been safe from Soviet domination.

President Obama has a somewhat different reading. He explains: “The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful.” Pretty magnanimous of the Soviets to let the long twilight struggle end peacefully like that, especially after all we did to provoke them.

So Obama doesn’t know much about the Cold War. Which is probably why he didn’t think the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was all that important. When the leaders of Europe got together to commemorate it, he decided not to go to that, either. But he did find time to record a video message, which he graciously allowed the Europeans to air during the ceremony.

In his video, Obama ruminated for a few minutes on the grand events of the 20th century, the Cold War itself, and the great lesson we all should take from this historic passing: “Few would have foreseen .  .  . that a united Germany would be led by a woman from Brandenburg or that their American ally would be led by a man of African descent. But human destiny is what human beings make of it.” The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, and the freedom of all humanity—it’s great stuff. Right up there with the election of Barack Obama.

Wow... The "punchline" caught me by surprise. I hadn't heard that speech. I guess "Obamanometer" for pretentiousness wasn't too far off the mark.

This also goes quite a ways toward explaining why people are starting to get annoyed with him internationally, and his magic is fading.

Caterwaulings

Bill Donohue provides an amazing digest of negative remarks about the appointment of Archbishop Timothy Dolan as head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

NPR is worried that Archbishop Dolan is "overtly conservative," and Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times is fretting about his "confrontational approach." Dissident Catholics are upset as well: New Ways Ministry says the vote "sends an ominous message"; Call to Action also sees his election as "ominous"; Sr. Maureen Fiedler says "we now have our very own Catholic version of the 'Tea Party' movement"; DignityUSA concludes that Dolan's election means the hierarchy is "out of step" with Catholics. Similarly, the Human Rights Campaign, a gay secular group, says the vote means the hierarchy is "out of step." Not to be outdone, the website of the Tucson Citizen accused Dolan of evincing an "arrogant" attitude in winning (it is true that he was caught smiling).

SNAP, the professional victims' group, opines that Dolan's "winning personality obscures his terrible track record on abuse." Marian Ronan of Religion Dispatches says his election is "not a good sign," and her colleague, Sarah Posner, concludes—and this really is ominous—that "the bishops are targeting families with loved ones who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender." The Internet site Lez Get Real calls Dolan "the Vatican's spin-doctor," and the website of Time has a headline which reads, "More Bad News for Obama 2012: Catholics Elect Dolan." Edgeboston.com picked up the AP piece, but chose to give it a new headline: "Catholic Bishops' Vote to Mean Harder Church Stance Against Gay Families." And atheist Susan Jacoby is sweating over the fact that Dolan will be treated by the media "as if he is the voice of all American Catholics." She needs to get used to it.

I received an email from the pro-gay group "Catholics for Equality" which stated that the "Election of Archbishops Dolan and Kurtz Signals Increased Vatican Influence in US Politics". I don't know why I get their emails; maybe they bought my email address from the Daily Kos?

My first thought was something like "Yeah, because these people liked Cardinal George so much on their pet issues." I don't know if these gripes are worth a second thought.

But here's one anyway: a little bird told me the Episcopalians are having a membership drive.

Dolan's in

Story.



Gotta run.

What do you think?

Funny? Scary?

What do you think? Jonathan? Bueller? Anyone? Bueller?

True dat, Schmuley

Rabbi Schmuley Boteach has said some things with which I don't agree, but when he's on he's on, and he does a great job here in defending the Tea Party. Excerpt:

The very premise of dignity is something acquired through personal effort. Dignity is the human aura that comes through self-reliance. Its underlying premise is independence. A dependent life is a fundamentally undignified life. Self-respect is earned through the sweat of one's brow. An heir to a great fortune may travel the high seas in a hundred-foot yacht and soar through the air in a Gulfstream V. But he will remain fundamentally bereft of dignity so long as he is living on someone else's dime.

The effort to recapture the dignity that springs from self-reliance is what the tea party, at its core, should be all about.

Where I'm at

Funky and old school, yo.

ACT! for America Cleveland Chapter

A new local chapter of ACT! for America was just started in Cleveland, Ohio. It was started by someone you all know after much thought and prayer. He started it because he finally had enough of the encroachment of Sharia Law by stealth and intimidation upon our liberties as Americans and our safety all in the name of a god whom the sane among us recognize as a false divinity in need of unmasking.

Anyway, the new chapter has a blog, an email address and a page on Twitter. Meetings will be monthly--our first one is coming up in December. Anyone who wants details on ACT! for America Cleveland chapter meetings just send an email.

More on this development later.

"The Black Knight Always Triumphs!"

Michael Medved explains why Obama won't compromise one bit like Clinton did. In a word, he's an inflexible ideologue. Excerpt:

Ironically, yesterday’s GOP gains could provide Barack Obama with the same opportunity to shift to the center that enabled Clinton to win his most notable political and budgetary successes. But Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post reported that “White House officials” privately resist comparisons between the two presidents. “If the House falls into Republican hands, they say, Obama will not repeat the Clinton governing script of 1995,” she writes. “Obama advocates argue that he is temperamentally ill-suited to such a strategy, both because he is more interested in broad change than small bore tinkering and because it requires a level of deal-making that he has not appeared comfortable with.”

Bullies don't accept defeat graciously.

"I'm at the tip of the spear...fresh to death"

I find stuff like this terribly funny, in a dark way of course. Basically there are 3 ways to react to modern superficiality: resist it, give in to it via inertia or write a book based on your mastery of it. Here are too excerpts I found hilarious:

No matter what T-shirt you select, whether it's fitted, graphic, sequined, bedazzled, crew-neck, deep-V, wifebeater, or what-have-you, it's about being proud of who you are. If you want to bust out a deep-V that's safety-cone orange because you think that's your color, then wear the hell out of that fruity shirt so everybody in the club knows that nobody owns it like you do. Set the trends, don't follow them. I wear what makes me feel good because I'm at the tip of the spear—the cutting edge of fashion that's fresh to death. When I see something I like, I grab it. My only system when I shop for fresh apparel is my own primal reaction to what I see, the moment I see it. When I enter a store, I trust my eye to zero in on what's mint. That's the single most effective system I have for knowing when to pull the trigger on a purchase. If I find myself hemming and hawing, that's a clear indication that the garment in question is not destined to make my rotation. I walk away from the rack because I've failed to make a connection to those threads. On the other hand, if I know from the moment I see it that that particular piece is going to make me look awesome, I trust my instinct completely and it comes home with The Sitch.

This next part made me laugh out loud uncontrollably. I doesn't really matter whether these guys are serious or pretending to be. It's the quintessence of self-importance.

One day at the mall, my boys and I decided to pop into The Cheesecake Factory for a quick bite. There was a mob scene of patrons waiting inside the doors so I had my good friend, The Unit, go inside to check on the availability of a table. By the way, The Unit, who was my college roommate, is almost always at my side. He has got mad game all his own and there's not doubt that America will be seeing much more of him very shortly. So, The Unit approached the hostess and said, "Look, I've got The Situation with me. Do you have any tables?" She seemed physically pained by the predicament The Unit was putting her in. She said, "Y'know, it's a ninety-minute wait. He's a very recognizable face. If we bring him in here ahead of all these people who have been waiting for so long, it would no doubt cause a lot of animosity and might be viewed in a very negative light for both the restaurant and for The Situation. That being said, we'll do the best we can."

The Unit. Too much, really. Almost makes me embarrassed to own testicles. Almost.

Buckley and Muggeridge on DVD

Cubeland Mystic first introduced me to William F. Buckley's great Firing Line episodes featuring Malcolm Muggeridge back a few moons ago. Since then it has become a major destination for people who stumble across my humble blog.

Now I've just learned that these episodes are available on DVD from Amazon. It looks like they became available in August of 2008, shortly after I posted that link but before someone at National Review linked to my page. So.... interesting.

Post-election Analysis

"Truckload of marshmallows," LOL.



Oh, man, Foster Freaking Brooks. Too funny. This guy could replace Biden in a heartbeat. Delivers his lines better also.

Daily Kos Emails

During Election Season, I kept getting emails from Daily Kos asking me to support Democrats in races, especially Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. This is because I probably made a comment at Daily Kos years ago and so they had my email. That's fine, but now I have to do a bit of gloating. Here is one of the emails:

Pauli,

Last week, when a poll showed Democrat Joe Sestak ahead in the Pennsylvania Senate campaign, your incredible efforts raised over $70,000. Looks like it's time to up that goal to $100,000:

Public Policy Polling. 10/17-10/18, 718 likely voters. MoE 3.7 (August numbers in parenthesis):

Sestak (D): 46 (36)
Toomey (R): 45 (45)

Every single undecided is moving to Sestak. Every. Single. One. You can contribute $10 to his campaign here.

Only eleven days ago, Republicans were poised to retake the Senate. Since then, a new wave of energy allowed us to gain ground in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Washington, Nevada, Illinois, Alaska, West Virginia, Missouri, North Carolina and Kentucky. Now, it’s no longer a question of whether Democrats will win the Senate, but by how many seats.

Your enthusiasm turned the tide. Keep riding the new wave--contribute to $10 Orange to Blue candidates now.

We’re gonna win this,
Markos Moulitsas
Founder, Daily Kos

Needless to say I declined to "ride the new wave". And I was deeply satisfied when Toomey beat Sestak early this morning in my old home state.

I suppose to the unwary, the letter represents a good strategy. For example, I don't think that the Republicans were ever "poised to retake the Senate", but stating that they before and they aren't now builds a sense of momentum for every Dem running for the Senate. Then you throw in "Oh, by the way, give to this guy." I wonder how many people did contribute based on these emails? Red State sends out political ads for Repubs that are 100% professional and so much classier. But that's par, I suppose.

Josh Mandel Wins Ohio Treasurer

This is another huge win. Mandel is a rising star in the Ohio GOP. It's great to see a grown-up in charge of the purse again.

So congratulations, Josh Mandel! We support your bid for Governor in 2018, and we will draft you if necessary, unless you want to be a U.S. Senator in which we will support you also.

I'm using Mark Levin's site to monitor the election

Here's the link. I just decided to say screw television tonight. Here's where we are currently in the house:

We're up 9, good news. Kucinich won, but oh, well. Maybe he'll retire soon, or get beamed up to the mothership.

The last gasp

Sad.

"With the early returns and the overwhelming number if Democrats who are coming out, we're on pace to maintain the majority," [Nancy Pelosi] said.

Yeah, riiiiight.....

Rabbis: "Respect for all human life is obligatory."

Liked this article about Jewish Rabbis joining with Cardinal Burke to defend life and oppose abortion. Excerpt:

“As Rabbis we welcome with great enthusiasm and strongly endorse the inspiring and clear Pro-life, Pro-family message delivered by American Cardinal-designate, Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Catholic Church’s highest court,” they said in a statement LifeNews.com received.

“In these crucial times in which we live, where many clerics tread with fear, Cardinal-designate Burke is to be commended and emulated as a voice of leadership. This moral teaching of the Catholic Church set forth in Burke’s interview with Thomas McKenna, is clearly found in the Torah and serves to give solid guidance to voters whether they are Christian, Jew or any man of faith,” the rabbinical leaders said.

And... it's always helpful to provide examples of how to vote:

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the Rabbinical Alliance of America, added his own comments to the statement the group released and commented on the specifics of races in New York, where he lives.

Levin said it would be “forbidden, for example, to vote for either New York State Senator Schumer or candidate for governor Andrew Cuomo — both of whom support late term abortion and homosexual marriage — unless they renounce those positions immediately.”

IMPORTANT ELECTION UPDATE - FROM THE OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY

Just got this email from Kevin DeWine of the Ohio GOP.

A few reminders about tomorrow's election:
• EARLY VOTING: If you still need to return an absentee ballot, it must be postmarked no later than TODAY or delivered in person to your county board of elections office by tomorrow. Contact your local elections office with any questions about early voting.

• VOTING HOURS: Polls open tomorrow (Tuesday, November 2) at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

• VOTE HERE: Wondering where to cast your ballot tomorrow? Use our Election Center map to enter your home address and find directions to your assigned polling location.

• GOP SLATE: Remember to download a list of your Republican candidates and take it with you to the polls on Tuesday. You ARE permitted to use a slate card or printed list of candidates inside your polling location when completing your ballot.

• MOBILE GOP: If you have an iPhone, check out our new app and use it to look up your slate of candidates electronically. You can also use the mobile version of our website. Just look up www.OhioGop.org on your mobile device.

• VICTORY CELEBRATION: Republicans from across the state will join John Kasich, Mary Taylor, Rob Portman and the rest of our GOP ticket at the Renaissance Columbus Hotel beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. The event is free. We hope you'll join us!

• STOP FRAUD: If you observe any questionable voting activity tomorrow, please email your information to vote@ohiogop.org. We have a team standing by to protect the integrity of this election.

• Communicate: 50 percent of voters could skip this election tomorrow. Don't look back on Wednesday and wish you had done more to deliver a GOP victory. Forward this email. Tell your family and friends why you're voting Republican and why they should too.

• Donate: Every dollar we raise is critical in these final hours. Ohio is the firewall for Barack Obama's re-election in 2012, and national Democrats are pouring money into the state to buy the vote. Don't let it happen.

Remember, as Ohio goes, so goes the nation. It's time to Fire Ted Strickland and send a message to Barack Obama that he's next. Let's finish strong, Republicans!



Kevin DeWine
Chairman, Ohio Republican Party

...spirit.... how long....

If you listen closely near the end, you can hear the Kyrie Eleison in the background.

Hugh Hewitt on Obama-Pelosi Failure

Great article. Here's the gist:

The epic loss on Tuesday will launch a thousand op-eds and who knows how many dissertations. But the explanation is very simple.

Never have two modern American leaders been so utterly bereft of graciousness. Americans do not particularly value humility in their politicians, but arrogance and disdain are poison to the public.

Read the whole thing; it's a mine of brilliant gems. Hugh Hewitt is a great writer. For instance, Harry Reid as "the Lepidus in this triumvirate" is a choice comparison, and the line "Republicans can only pray that Democrats run on 'the stimulus was too small and Obamacare insufficiently radical' in 2012 and beyond" is the perfect rebuke to those on the left disappointed with their fellow knuckleheads in power.

Latest Gallup Poll: GOP Ahead 15 Points

in the generic ballot. Excerpt:

Gallup's historical model suggests that a party needs at least a two-point advantage in the national House vote to win a majority of the 435 seats. The Republicans' current likely voter margin suggests that this scenario is highly probable, making the question of interest this election not whether the GOP will win the majority, but by how much. Taking Gallup's final survey's margin of error into account, the historical model predicts that the Republicans could gain anywhere from 60 seats on up, with gains well beyond that possible.

It should be noted, however, that this year's 15-point gap in favor of the Republican candidates among likely voters is unprecedented in Gallup polling and could result in the largest Republican margin in House voting in several generations. This means that seat projections have moved into uncharted territory, in which past relationships between the national two-party vote and the number of seats won may not be maintained.

Additionally, efforts by state legislatures in recent years have attempted to insulate incumbent members of Congress from strong partisan tides such as are in force this year. Congressional district lines have been drawn to make them safe for specific parties, which may reduce the impact of national trends on election outcomes.

I have five political signs in my yard for all Republicans, and I got a number of comments regarding them during trick or treat tonight. All of them positive.

Sharron Angle up 4% over Dingy Harry

Nice. Here's the story.

Obama's Fixer

Erick Erickson reports on Obama's dirty work in Florida, handled by his old standby fixer, Bill Clinton. This is to keep the hands of Obama―who is half black―clean of pressuring a black democrat, Kendrick Meeks, out of a senate race. All so a white, half Republican guy named Charlie Crist has a chance at winning. I really liked Erickson's analysis and his 3 take-away points:

But there are three really important points to make here. They are major points:

1. The only group the Democrats have left that will turn out in sizable numbers is the black voting block. This, the second time the White House has colluded to drive a black man out of a statewide election, does not help turn those voters out.

2. Bill Clinton has worked very hard to patch things up with black voters after the 2008 Democratic primary and now here he is trying to force a black man out of the race. So much for rehabilitation.

3. And this is the most important point: This clearly shows the White House is only interested in the short game. Alex Sink needs black voters to turn out for her to push her over the line. Florida is picking up congressional seats and a Democratic Governor would help tremendously. But the Democrats were willing to sacrifice black voter turnout to get a Senate seat for maybe six years instead of a Governor’s mansion that would impact congressional races for at least a decade.

Bonus take away point: Kendrick Meeks has run the classiest campaign by any Democrat in 2010.

I'm thinking: first black president was white, second black president is half white. Maybe the next black president will only be a quarter white, then one eighth and so on, and so on.... But if he's Republican, he won't get the black vote at all, and will be deemed totally un-black. It's a frickin' Zen thing,

Lost Time Is Not Found Again

What do I know?

Sharron Angle lives in Joyless Behar's head, rent-free, send flowers

Joy Behar is Pavlov's dog. Sharron Angle rings the bell and she comes out spitting. Isn't reality TV great?

TV talk show co-host Joy Behar referred to Senate candidate Sharron Angle with a slur, but the Nevada Republican replied with flowers after the on-air swipe boosted her fundraising.

Behar was railing about an Angle ad on immigration Tuesday on ABC's "The View" when she taunted the candidate to run the commercial in New York.

Behar referred to Angle using a vulgarity, then repeated it in saying that "she is going to hell, this bitch."

On Wednesday, there was a large bouquet on the program's set. Behar said it came with a note from Angle that claimed the candidate raised $150,000 online Tuesday and added, "Thanks for your help."

But Behar aimed at Angle again, suggesting the flowers were picked by illegal immigrants and "they're not voting for you, bitch."

Love, baby.... it's a bitch. So is hate.



"You got to fix it baby."

SEIU Cheating in Nevada?

Democrats whine about corporations being allowed to pay for political ads. But they obviously don't mind when machines are allowed to cast votes for Harry Reid.

Since early voting started, there have been credible reports that voting machines in Clark County, Nevada are automatically checking Harry Reid’s name on the ballot.

...

Now there’s absolutely no independently verified evidence of chicanery with the voting machines (yet), but it is worth noting that the voting machine technicians in Clark County are members of the Service Employees International Union. The SEIU spent $63 million in elections in 2008 and is planning on spending $44 million more this election cycle — nearly all of that on Democrats. White House political director Patrick Gaspard is formerly the SEIU’s top lobbyist, and former SEIU president Andy Stern was the most frequent vistor to the White House last year.

I guess ACORN's high-tech replacement has arrived.

Have we seen enough?

Good recent article on Kucinich versus Corrigan. Here's the conclusion:

People who bought years and years of his rhetoric about profiteering insurance companies just knew he'd show Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi how a person of real integrity behaves.

Instead, he caved. He voted for a bill he had vilified as an eternal guarantor of insurance company profits.

In doing so, he finally found a way, for one brief, tarnished moment, to be relevant.

Against all predictions, he did some damage.

Repairs could begin as early as Nov. 2, but the people of Ohio's 10th Congressional District need to take a good look at themselves and their congressman.

The district still leans Democratic, but it has never, ever leaned as far to the anti-military, anti-business, capitalism-hating left as Dennis Kucinich.

On that basis, the candidate who is representative of the district is Corrigan. The oddity is the incumbent.

Emphasis mine. That is what really defies logic and baffles us all.

For your pure pleasure listening pleasure

say what the heck, say what the heck....

Dimora has "greatly touched the Clevland community"

Here is some more praise of Jimmy Dimora from Dennis Kucinich to go with the backbone comment. This remark was made in the United States House of Representatives. It was made back in 2001 when Dimora possibly wasn't quite as corrupt and may even have weighed under 400 pounds. Excerpt:

Commissioner Dimora is a man I hold in very high regard for he has greatly touched the Cleveland community. He has dedicated his entire life to public service and enjoys working with his constituents. He is people-oriented, kind-spirited, hard-working and dedicated to his work and community.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring a very fine man and wishing him a happy birthday. Commissioner Jimmy Dimora is truly a man of the people, and has served the Cleveland community selflessly his entire life.

Har, har, har.

Did you spot it?

Frank Caprio―by the way, that's not the Wonderful Life guy―said something totally wrong in his remarks about the Obama snub. Did you notice? Check it out:

“I never asked for President Obama’s endorsement, you know, he can take his endorsement and really shove it as far as I’m concerned,” Mr. Caprio said on air. “Now he’s coming into Rhode Island and treating us like an ATM machine.”

ATM Machine. That really just grated on my ears when I heard it. ATM machine. That is so redundant, man. Bad grammar involving the misuse of abbreviations like this example is one of the main things that drives people away from participation in the political arena.

Maybe if Caprio loses he can become a blogger.

Beavis and Biden

LOL

Bill Bennett and Mark Steyn discuss the Juan Williams issue

Then they go on to discuss the Election.



Hat Tip FlyoverCountry via Kathy Shaidle

How to Keep Your Job at NPR

I liked this report on "How to Keep Your Job at NPR" from Townhall.com. Not that I'll ever work for NPR, but some of my readers might, who knows.

Peter Corrigan Advances to ‘Contender’ Status in Young Guns Program

Peter Corrigan has a chance against Dennis Kucinich, or so says the NRCC. Here's the skinny:

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially announced that Peter Corrigan (OH-10) has advanced to “Contender” status, a significant step in the progression of its Young Guns program. Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns program is a member-driven organization dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide. Corrigan is challenging seven-term incumbent Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in Ohio’s 10th Congressional District this fall.

The Young Guns program is designed to assist Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives achieve goals and benchmarks throughout the election cycle focused on the fundamentals of a winning campaign. By achieving ‘Contender’ status, Corrigan has already demonstrated his ability to build a successful campaign structure and achieve vital fundraising goals.

“Peter Corrigan has met a series of rigorous fundraising and campaign goals that will go a long way in helping to put this seat in the Republican column,” said NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX). “Peter is part of a strong pool of candidates who are frustrated with the Democrat majority’s big-government ways and aren’t willing to stand by any longer. With such partisanship and reckless spending coming out of Washington, voters in Ohio are ready for new leadership.”

I hope they are right, obviously. I'll be doing 2 hours or so of phone bank work on Monday, November 1 and election day. I'm sort of proud of this since I've been pessimistic about the man's chances. Makes me feel almost quixotic, which I know is high praise in some quarters.

Kick off the weekend with some Dan Meth hilarity

This is so perfect. It could be called "The Plastic Apocalypse." Maybe.



I'll be laughing about this all weekend. My kid will probably have to smack me in church to get me to quit laughing.

See you at the Meth Clinic.

It's, it's a Pledge Drive Blitz!

The answer to the question in the headline here is "Yes", obviously.

Here's my idea of what to do for Mr. Williams: Call NPR and PBS up during pledge drives and ask when they are going to rehire Juan Williams. Or just say "Rehire Juan Williams!" This is what I recommend if you are short on time.

If you have some time, pretend you are going to contribute a bunch of money. Go the whole way through until you get to the part where you are going to give them your credit card number. Then say, "By the way, are you going to apologize to Juan Williams and give him his job back?" When they start in with "Excuse me? Uhhhh..." just say "Well, forget it then," and hang up. Or if you're as sinister as me, you'll wait for awhile and hear what they have to say. It's even more fun to get hung up on. My guess is they get pranked a lot, well, I know they used to in Pittburgh at least some about 35 years ago, so they shouldn't over-react or mind too much. I doubt it's a commissioned position to sit in an NPR phone bank.

I'll publish numbers for this purpose in the future, or you can post them in the comments and will all call on the same day. Let's give these idiots a black eye.

Brigitte Gabriel on Juan Williams firing

Sorry about the short notice on this, but I just got the message myself. Brigitte Gabriel from ACT! for America will be on Sean Hannity's show around 3:30pm today discussing the firing of Juan Williams by NPR.

You can listen online here: http://player.streamtheworld.com/_players/citadel/?sid=1352

Fool me twice, shame on me

When President Obama omitted the phrase about God being the source of our human rights from the Declaration of Independence, I figured that he had some speechwriter who didn't like God or who just screwed up. But now that it happened again, I have to agree with William Donohue's statement that these omissions were deliberate. Here's his entire release on the matter.

For the second time this fall, President Obama has quoted from the Declaration of Independence, omitting any reference to God. In Rockville, Maryland on Monday, he spoke of "inalienable rights," mentioning that "all men are created equal," but omitted what comes after this phrase: namely, he did not say "that they are endowed by their Creator" with these unalienable rights.

On September 15, after Obama omitted the same words before the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (there are four references to God in the Declaration), I faulted his speech writers but defended the president by saying he should "be given a pass." I can no longer do so: President Obama, it is painfully obvious, does not believe that individual rights are given to us by God.

The most dramatic historical achievement of the American Revolution was the insistence of the Founders that the state is not the source of our rights. What the state grants, it can take away. We saw this most strikingly under the Soviets: the Soviet Constitution was a marvelous tribute to human liberty, the only problem being that it made the state the origin of individual rights. By declaring God to be the origin of rights, the Founders deliberately awarded a subordinate role to government.

President Obama is the first president in American history not to acknowledge that all rights stem from God. Given that all prepared presidential speeches are written and vetted by many people, and that he was roundly criticized last month for this same infraction, it is only fair to conclude that this was not a mistake. This was deliberate.

The thing I don't claim to know is why he would do such a thing. I don't know what it buys him with the voting groups he needs to win back. But I suppose it's a sign of my own health that I don't understand the workings of a deluded megalomaniac's mind.

Kucinich to Dimora: "You are the backbone of the Democratic Party in Ohio"

This big Dimoracrat shindig happened not much more than a year ago when the Disgraced Jimmy Dimora was praised by Dennis Kucinich. The corruption probe was underway at the time. I guess we shouldn't be surprised if the FBI didn't share Dennis Kucinich's assessment of Dimora's praiseworthiness.

Kucinich used the moment to give the night's most impassioned defense of Dimora. While not acknowledging any of the scandals, Kucinich thanked Dimora for the leadership he has shown and for "keeping this organization together." He said Dimora has "principally been responsible" for the success of the party.

"You are the backbone of the Democratic Party in Ohio," Kucinich said.

Not in Cuyahoga, mind you. In Ohio.

The reason someone like Dennis Kucinich can speak with such chutzpah is that he really feels invincible, and the voters in Ohio's 10th Congressional District have given him no reason to feel otherwise. Dennis Kucinich just received the endorsement of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the same lovely paper that routinely endorsed Jimmy Dimora and Frank Russo.

I'm still horribly pessimistic about the race, but I advise everyone to donate to Peter Corrigan. He's a good man, Pro-life, Conservative, and he is within the margin of error so please ignore my pessimism. Here's the link to do so. I was going to post it yesterday, but there was something wrong with the Paypal certificate. So I'm glad they fixed that.

Tell him the dog is turning red

Love this song. Actually was checking out Beauty Trip, another one of my favorites, but this video is beautiful. Check out how the guitars interweave.

Good article on ridiculous "Homer is Catholic" meme

L'Osservatore Romano gets owned by Hilary White for the stupid irrelevance about Homer Simpson. They deserve it.

When I discovered the internet hullabalooo over that silly article, the latest in a string of silliness from L'Osservatore Romano, telling the world that Homer Simpson is a "real" Catholic, I just sighed. It was just one more little bit of cringeworthy sophomoric nonsense from a paper that seems to be struggling with a humiliating mid-life crisis.

The Daily Telegraph in England broke the "story" to the Anglosphere, and pretty much called it:

Once a staid and sober paper of record, L'Osservatore Romano has ventured into popular culture in the last three years under a new editor, praising Barack Obama and commenting on everything from The Beatles and The Blues Brothers to the blockbuster film Avatar and the Harry Potter books and films.

"Yep," I thought, "that about sums it up. L'Osservatore Romano is an old person trying to be hip and cool. And there is nothing more excruciatingly, exquisitely embarrassing..."

Here's her best sentence: "Is it too much to ask to have this most prominent of all Catholic papers, to please, please stick to talking about grown-up things? The pope does it; let's go with his example." Besides the fact that Homer Simpson is supposed to be stupid, he has never even claimed to be Catholic on the show. Why some Catholics insist on doing and saying things which goof on their own religion is beyond me. Words mean things, and the word "Catholic" should mean a lot to Catholics. If praying before meals and believing in an afterlife makes you Catholic then Protestants and most Jews are also Catholic. Gee, wonder if they knew that.

10/20/2010 or 20-10-2010

Depending on where you live, it's either ten twenty twenty ten or twenty ten twenty ten. So that makes it a special day! Go do something stupid, like play the lottery or something.

Peter Hitchens: "I used to believe this piffle."

I don't know what Peter Hitchens's pay grade is, but he must make more than Barack Obama.



Around 2:53, the atheist scientist dude starts licking his lips. You can hear it. He knows he's in trouble.

"Hockeysticks and bananas." LOL.

Yes, I've got the desert in my toenails...

...oh yeah...



...and I hid the speed inside my shoes.

Muslim Dances On Altar In Roman Catholic Cathedral

Via Pam G.



I'll probably be busy all day blogging about all the public apologies from Imams around the world who decry this detestable hate crime.

As someone wrote in the comments on Youtube, "Lucky for him, Christianity is truly a religion of peace."

Are you outraged yet?

Ohio District 10: State of D K

This video asks "What kind of leader is Dennis Kucinich?"



The thing about the Kent State shootings sounds like a joke, but it isn't. This guy's head isn't anywhere near planet Earth, let alone OH-10.

Well he's the poster boy for living in the past. Richard Nixon is not running this year. Rush Limbaugh is right; the Democrats want to talk about everything except the issues.

Maybe Corrigan Can Win

I'm still skeptical that Peter Corrigan can beat the Menace, but Bill Kristol provides some positive signs, if you really want to hope. Excerpt:

The poll (based on a small but respectable 319 person sample, with a margin of error of 5.6 percent, weighted to eliminate gender bias) shows Kucinich ahead of his opponent, Peter Corrigan, by only 4 percent. The profile of undecided voters suggests they may break for Corrigan by about 3-2. And Corrigan's 4 percent deficit turns into a 4 percent Corrigan lead when voters are given information on Kucinich's ties to corrupt local Democratic leaders, and on Kucinich's support for illegal immigration. These are signs that undecided voters could be pushed to go Corrigan’s way. Furthermore, Corrigan is running even with Kucinich among those who've already requested their absentee ballot, as early voting has already started in Ohio.

Corrigan is up on radio, but not on TV. He is doing direct mail to 150,000 households with persuadable voters. He has little cash on hand—but so does Kucinich (Kucinich had $88K to Corrigan's $35K at the end of the last filing period, and Kucinich out-raised Corrigan in the 3rd quarter by only $30K).

It would be sweet to cream Kucinich in the election, but I'm not getting emotionally invested in that, not yet. Beating him by 1 vote would be equivalent to creaming him, believe me.

It was kind of funny; we were at the parade this summer in Olmsted Falls which is a popular one for candidates in the even years. Our family of seven was standing with our double baby carriage over on the left side of the street near the beginning of the parade route. Dennis Kucinich came along walking by himself alongside a car with the big yellow DENNIS! sign on it. He took one glance at our family, turned and walked across the street to where some seniors were seated on lawn chairs and started talking to them. I got a big smile on my face; you could almost see his political instinct twitching like antennae on his little head. He represents the sad history of this district, but fortunately not the future.

Think I'll throw Corrigan a few bucks. You can do it by going here. He's a good man. Here's a blurb on Mr. Corrigan from Cleveland Right to Life which endorsed him for District 10:

Peter has strong pro-life credentials and will bring a new energy to the region that will not only reflect his pro-life position but will also help to alleviate poverty and joblessness in the region. In conversation with Peter and his wife, Cleveland Right to Life discovered a man with a deep conviction for doing what is right coupled with a firm grasp of the business and social environment in District 10. Peter will restore integrity to the region.

Some weirdness stands the test of time

I.e., this is still strange.



The bike horn at 7:08 is the freaking maraschino cherry.

He was for it before he was against it.

He being Jim Marshall, Georgia Democrat Rep, it being the Pelosi.

“Pelosi was never my choice for speaker,” Mr. Marshall said, eliciting boos from a skeptical audience in an arena here at the Georgia National Fair. Mr. Marshall actually voted for Ms. Pelosi as speaker but said he had not wanted her for the job and would not vote for her again.

Sure, Jim. Voters remain unconvinced.

Swing that bird

I really like the groove of this version of Birdland. It's a totally different feel than the studio version on Heavy Weather.



Jaco's harmonics are just the shit, man.

Michael Barone Remembers Something

Mike B takes apart the Democrats newly adopted xenophobia and shows what a stupid strategy it is. Excerpt:

I seem to remember that it was candidate Barack Obama (not John McCain or Hillary Clinton) who gave a big election year speech in the Tiergarten in Berlin. It was Obama cheerleaders who told us that foreigners would love us once again if we sent George W. Bush back to Texas and installed their multicultural champion in the White House.

Back in 2008, we were supposed to vote for the candidate foreigners loved. Now, in 2010, we are supposed to vote against the party foreigners support.

He ends with the suggestion that the Democrats "D" initial "stands for demagoguery and desperation." When you're out of bullets, throw the gun. I guess.

She knew what she was doing...

...and she knew she'd get away with it. Excerpt:

FIRST LADY CAMPAIGNS INSIDE POLLING PLACE
Thu Oct 14 2010 16:19:25 ET

First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law -- when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!

The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

After finishing at the machine, Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting key.

She let voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos.

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

According to a pool reporter from the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES at the scene, the conversation took place INSIDE the voting center, not far from the booths.

Illinois state law -- Sec. 17-29 (a) -- states: "No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place."

This is the part that really burns me:

A top Ilinois State Board of Elections official tells the DRUDGE REPORT that Mrs. Obama -- a Harvard-educated lawyer -- may have simply been ignorant of the law and thus violated it unintentionally.

"You kind of have to drop the standard for the first lady, right?" the official explained late Thursday. "I mean, she's pretty well liked and probably doesn't know what she's doing."

No, no, no. You "drop the standard" for people like janitors and store clerks if you do for anyone. Tell me: are we supposed to "drop the standard" for her because she's black? I refuse. She knew she wasn't supposed to do this, but she's an Obama, and no one is going to stop her for fear of repercussions.