The Last Thing I Needed to Hear

At 4 PM on Friday afternoon: "I just talked to my OB/GYN's nurse, and she said to check in to Urgent Care right away."

This from my 14-week-pregnant wife, who should be getting over "morning" sickness by now, but who is instead throwing up at the rate of 2-4 times per day, has lost 12 lbs. In 5 weeks (trust me, not a weight loss plan I'd recommend), and is feeling light headed and has heart palpitations all of a sudden today.

The doctor at Urgent Care doesn't seem to be TOO worried, they're going to run a few tests (just enough time for me to slip out, eat, update the blog and get back), pump some fluids in her, and prescribe a new drug. The downside is, the new drug is pretty pricey, and money's tight.

I swear to God, as much hell as this child is putting her through now, after it is born and grows, it WILL treat her with a level of regard usually reserved for heads of state and pop singers, or it WILL answer to me!

Quote of the Day

Thanks for the Memory to my friend & coworker Ricky V.

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.

-- Soren Kierkegaard

Maybe You Shoulda Thought About That Sooner....

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

More sheer insanity from the lips of the erzatz Empress Maria Teresa Thierstein Simoes-Ferreira Zha Zha Evita Peron Dixie Wetsworth Heinz Ketchup:

Heinz Kerry: Swiftvets Hurting Troop Morale in Iraq

Well, we know of one Swift Boat Veteran whose words and actions long ago started hurting troop morale...

Breaking her silence on criticism of John Kerry's war record by the group Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, Teresa Heinz Kerry said this week that such attacks are undermining the morale of troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I believe that discussions or attacks on [my husband's] service undermine the peace of mind not only of Vietnam veterans but of those now fighting for their country," she told the Dayton Daily News.

"Let us hope that if they volunteer for service their reviews are not going to be so nefarious in the future," she added.

You might want to avoid using the word "nefarious" when discussing the issue of your husband's past, darling.

Heinz Kerry reacted to the Swiftvet criticism after speaking to the AFL-CIO Coalition of Labor Union Women in Ohio on Tuesday.

The Rich Boston Brahmin reacted... after speaking to working women with whom she has nothing in common beyond her gender.

Asked Monday about the Swiftvet criticism by the Gannet News Service, Heinz Kerry responded less forcefully, saying, "I honor my husband's work. I honor his past."

Funny, "honor" and your husband's past don't exactly create a strong association to many of us.

"I may be wrong," she added. "But I have to believe that no veteran today, including those who don't plan to vote for my husband, feels very good about these attacks."

Except, of course, for the veterans making the allegations, as well as, oh, almost every vet I know.

All I can say is, please, please, PLEASE, Milady, keep talking. You're doing WONDERS for the campaign, REALLY.

Which one? Oh, you didn't ask me that.

Starting My Christmas Wish List Early

Just got this email:

Dear Mr. & Mrs. B,

With great pride, we are pleased to announce the release of the long awaited CD, “Mourning in America: Music and Eulogies from the Funeral Services of President Ronald Wilson Reagan.” This official CD, produced by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation will benefit the Ronald Reagan Memorial Fund. While many other unauthorized CD’s of the funeral services have already been released, this official CD, “Mourning in America”, has been sanctioned by Mrs. Reagan. Proceeds from the sale help the Reagan Foundation to fulfill the vision of President Reagan’s life’s work and to ensure that America’s future remains bright for our generation and generations to come. To order the CD, please visit the Reagan Library’s online Museum Store at http://www.reaganlibrary.com/store/ .

This touching CD includes:
• Exclusive remarks by Mrs. Ronald Reagan
• Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Band: Ruffles and Flourishes, Hail to the Chief, and My Country 'Tis of Thee
• The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
• U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants: America the Beautiful
• The Honorable Richard B. Cheney
• Dr. Ronan Tynan/U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra: Ave Maria
• Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
• The Cathedral Choir/U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra: Jerusalem
• The Right Honourable Baroness Thatcher, L.G., O.M., F.R.S.
• Armed Forces Chorus/U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra: Battle Hymn of the Republic
• The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, P.C., C.C., LL.D.
• Dr. Ronan Tynan/U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra: Amazing Grace
• The Honorable George H.W. Bush
• U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra/ Congregation: Ode to Joy
• The Honorable George W. Bush
• The Armed Forces Chorus/U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra: The Mansions of the Lord
• Michael Reagan
• Patti Davis
• Ronald Prescott Reagan
• Eric Rigler/Bagpiper: Amazing Grace
• 11th Marine Artillery Regiment: 21-Gun Salute
U.S. Army Band Bugler: Taps

Thank you for supporting the Ronald Reagan Memorial Fund. May we continue to be blessed with your friendship as we work to preserve the legacy of President Ronald Reagan.

“I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT MAN IS GOOD
THAT WHAT IS RIGHT WILL ALWAYS EVENTUALLY TRIUMPH
AND THAT THERE IS PURPOSE AND WORTH TO EACH AND EVERY LIFE.”
-Ronald Reagan, November 4, 1991 at the Dedication of the Reagan Library


Warm regards,

R. Duke Blackwood
Executive Director
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation
http://www.reaganfoundation.org

I got teary-eyed just reading the email. I can't imagine what it will be like listening to it.

Riiiiiiight.... I'll make sure you get the memo......

Stumbled across this list on funkylady's blog. If you work in an office, you get it:

BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.

SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's up.

MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.

SITCOM: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiney.

SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.

IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The O.J. trials were a prime example.

PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

404: Someone who's clueless (from the World Wide Web error message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested document could not be located).

GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, subdivisions.

OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake.

CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously farting while passing through a cube farm, then enjoying the sounds of dismay and disgust! (leads to'PRAIRIE DOGGING'.)

Top Ten List for Friday, August 27, 2004

From the Home Office in Tenmile, Oregon

Top Ten Reasons I, a Conservative, Still Live in Oregon:

10. What, leave? I just got back!
9. At least it's not California.
8. Three words: Target Rich Environment
7. Beer strong enough to make even Howard Dean calm down.
6. Patchouli makes excellent mosquito repellant.
5. For sheer comic brilliance, nothing beats watching Kucinich supporters and Nader supporters debate.
4. Plenty of "Free Mumia Benefit Sitar Concert" fliers for the fireplace to keep you warm on those rainy Northwest nights.
3. There's entertainment value in asking the dredlocked Barrista for an "ANWR Crude Oil Latte in a Paper cup made from old growth firs" and watching the look on their face.
2. Spotted Owl tastes like chicken, but with less cholesterol.
1. THIS IS MY BIRTHPLACE AND HOME, BY GOD, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'LL LET THE FREAKS HAVE IT WITHOUT A FIGHT!!!!!

Cross-Posted at Head West, Turn Right on January 18, 2005.

You like? I Like!

Frightening likeness:





Now if only John Edwards would bleach his hair, we'd have Pool Boy!

Required Reading

Thannks for the Memory to the Llama Butchers.

The whole controversy regarding the swift boat vets and their Anti-Kerry book Unfit for Command is currently the rage all across Blogneyland. So it seems only fair to let Senator Kurtz Kerry defend himself.

In his own words.

The Things We Do for Love

Like walkin' in the rain and the snow
when there's... No place to GSCRITCHZIIIIIIIP! *GRAB* POUND! SMASH! WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM! CRACKLE SPLINTER SHATTER! grumble grumble.... sweep sweep sweep DUMP.

*sigh* so much for THAT album. Listen, you stupid knownothing pop singer! You wanna talk about the things we do for love? empty and clean your pregnant wife's puke bucket for the umpteenth time, THEN come talk to me about "the things we do for love." Useless git.

Furthermore, whoever named it "morning" sickness should be killed slowly.

Now if you'll pardon me, I need coffee.

In God We Trust -- Everyone Else Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

Recently my good friend Vic over at Darth Apathy posted an entry that laid out in significant detail his personal philosophy of life. Not long after that, my Blogfather, Rusty Shackleford of MyPetJawa, posted an excellent entry on why he considers himself a neolibertarian. Since I respect both of these individuals, and since we're told that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I have decided to follow their lead and explain my own quirky view of the world.

I would hope that anyone who knows me, as well as anyone who has paid close attention to comments I've made here and on other blogs, is aware of the fact that I'm a Christian. Yes, I'm one of those people who sincerely believes in a Personal God, and all the religious claptrap that goes along with that.

Now, I realize that many of my friends and readers are not Christians, or even theists for that matter. For the purpose of developing friendships, that is fine with me. You can be an atheist, agnostic, gnostic, Pagan, Wiccan, Buddhist, Animist, or tree-hugging dirt worshipper for all I care. I may privately believe you are dead wrong (literally), but as long as you treat me with kindness and respect, I will treat you with equal dignity. If you wish to explain to me the error of my ways, in private, feel free, but expect me to reply in kind. If you are truly curious as to what I believe and why I believe it, and why I believe everyone should, again, in private, I'd be happy to oblige.

However, for the sake of this post, any discussion of the validity of my theism is not appropriate. Like belief in the existence or non-existence of ANY deity, this is a belief reached by faith. And while I believe that my decision to take that leap of faith was reached for reasonable motives, the leap has been made. The only reason I mention this belief is that as an orthodox believer, I acknowledge the Authority of God, as revealed in Scripture, and my philosophy and ethics are intended to be guided by this belief. To quote Dickens, You must remember this, or nothing that happens later will seem wondrous.

Since I view scripture as the authoritative source of God's express will, and as a Christian have chosen to obey (or at least attempt to obey) that will, it stands to reason that when it comes time to formulate a political philosophy, I would attempt to base that philosophy on what the bible teaches me about God's view of politics. I know, this sounds like a "Violation of Church and State," but I have two responses to that. First, that's a sad misinterpretation of the constitution, and second, even if it were, I would have to continue to believe as I do, and be willing to suffer the consequences. Why? Well, we're coming to that.

I must admit that I have never made an extensive study of this issue in scripture. However, I am a lifelong Christian, a Pastors son, and have had enough exposure to scripture to have formulated some opinions based on my understanding of it.

Like many other subjects, the Bible addresses politics differently in the Old Testament than in the New. There are some very important reasons for this, and Paul actually spends a good deal of time in his epistles explaining those reasons, but for the sake of this discussion, it suffices to say that my views are primarily based on the New Testament.

Based on my exposure to the New Testament, I have concluded that there are two political responsibilities enumerated: The Role of the State and the Response of the Christian.

The Response of the Christian to Government is pretty simple. As long as it does not interfere with our relationship with God, we are to obey the laws of the State. The only exception occurs when the Law specifically prohibits us from doing something God commands us to do, or Commands us to do something God prohibits. In those specific cases, we are to peacefully disobey the state, follow God's commands instead, and humbly and meekly accept the punishment the State metes out. God is, in the end, our judge.

The Role of the state is a bit more complex. As far as I can ascertain, two main concepts are expressed regarding the State: Justice, and Righteousness.

The meaning of the first is not the modern leftist doublespeak meaning of the word, "Justice," but rather implies, as I read it, the imperative that the State protect its subjects: From foreign enemies, from each other, and from the predations of the state. In other words: Defense; Order (Law Enforcement); and Ethics.

The meaning of the second is the one that causes difficulty, and has been the source of much trouble and created a great deal of animosity towards Christians due to a misapplication of the concept.

Throughout Church history, Christian civil leaders have interpreted this call for Righteousness as a call for State-enforced Christian standards of behavior throughout society. This has led, ironically, to some of the most un-Christian of activity on the part of those who have called themselves Christians.

However, I have reached the conclusion that this is not what was meant by Righteousness to begin with. And I have reached this conclusion for two main reasons: First, Christ plainly stated, My kingdom is not of this World. The Goal of his ministry, Death, and Resurrection was NOT to establish a theocracy (or at least, not this side of the apocalypse). His goal was to reestablish the relationship between God and His Creations, to establish His Kingdom in the hearts of believers; Secondly, we must view the message of Righteousness in context. At the time, the reigns of State were almost always exclusively in the hands of one person. The Church of the book of Acts was established in the days of the Roman Empire. Prior to that, Israel had been a Monarchy. And so I believe that the call for Righteousness in government in the Bible is a call for righteousness in the life of the Ruler. The Bible states that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom." The Biblical principle is clearly that only a ruler of high moral fibre who strives to do what is right, and pursues righteousness in his own life, is capable of properly administering Justice.

Now, for most of history, the two roles I've mentioned have been pretty clear cut. Christians, as subjects of the state, were to conduct themselves first in obedience to God and secondly in obedience to the state. The State, in turn, administered Justice, in various qualities depending on the government in question. When the government was led by a purported Christian, it also often tried to administer Righteousness, again with varying degrees of success and with varying and often deleterious effects on Justice. In other words, Christian Rulers attempted (usually poorly) to play the role of the state, and individual Christians responded as subjects thereof.

But as a modern American, I am faced with an interesting paradigm. As a member of a representative Republic, I am, at least in theory, part of the state. I may not rule directly, but I vote to decide who does, and in the case of the State and Local level, I actually do vote for the laws themselves. And so I find myself in the position of having both sets of responsibilities, and having to figure out how to balance the two.

In theory, it seems simple: When voting for leaders and on issues, vote for those most likely to promote Justice (again, more on that definition later), and most likely to pursue righteousness. Once the voting is done, abide peacefully by the results until the day comes that they ban my faith. In other words, work within the system as long as possible. The question becomes, how do you choose the right leader(s) and positions on issues to do so? The Devil, whom I believe exists, is indeed in the details. Or at least, in the wrong choice of details.

So let's address both concepts one at a time, this time in the opposite order, beginning with Righteousness. How do I, as a Christian Ruler (yeah, sounds funny, but to a small extent, we're all rulers here), pursue the righteousness called for without oppressively forcing my religion on others? In two ways. The first way is to attempt to practice righteousness in my own life to as great an extent as is possible -- to be ethical, honest, moral, and obedient to God myself, so that any decisions I make in voting are based on sound ethical principals. The second way is to exert my influence as a voter to demand ethical conduct from the government I elect. That's it. I don't believe it is my duty to enforce any moral code on other citizens. Nor is it their right to enforce theirs on me. The only time I would ever use my vote to enforce my beliefs would be in order to prevent the establishment of a law that requires me to do what God forbids, or forbids me to do what God requires.

Now to address Justice. First I must define it. Earlier I said it was protection of subjects, but I believe I have a better definition which encompasses those earlier ideas, but is more accurate a definition: I believe that in its essence, Justice is the right application of consequences. This means ensuring, to as great an extent as is possible, that everyone is held responsible for the consequences of their own actions, and none can force the consequences of their actions on others. In other words, protection for the innocent, punishment for the guilty, and a wall of protection between the two -- Defense, Law, and Order.

Now, in days to come, I plan to expound in blog entries on how I think these principles apply to specific political topics facing me as an American. But in the meantime, allow me to explain the title of this entry, how it applies to this topic, and why I can not be, in good conscience as a Christian, either an Anarchist or a Totalitarian.

The danger of Anarchy is either of the assumptions that: A) Man is basically good and wise and if left to his own devices will eventually sort things out and all will be just and good; or B) Man is an animal and the laws of natural selection apply and if you aren't fit enough to survive, that's the way it goes. I disagree.

One other theological principal that I apply to my political philosophy, and which I failed to mention earlier, is the concept of the fallenness of Man. While I believe we were created in the image of God, and are at times capable of all the good and desirable qualities with which he imbued us, I also believe that the corrupting influence of sin has rendered us capable of incredible evil. Government is a tool intended to protect us from each other, because left to our own devices, we will eat our own young.

But leaving the government in the hands of one or a very few individuals is equally dangerous, since those individuals are capable of the same predatory tendencies the rest of us are, and political power just increases their ability to act on them. This is why I have come to believe that while a constitutional Republic is not inherently more religious than any other form of government, with its checks and balances, it does provide the best framework for pursuing the justice that is God's purpose for government.

I Love Living in Oregon

Reason #973: Rainy Day Sunrises

The sun is casting it's rays between the cloud cover and the mountains. There's something eerily beautiful about a brightly lit landscape under a dark and brooding sky.

Who in the Hell D'you Think You Are?

A super star?
Well, right you are!

- John Lennon, "Instant Karma"

While I've only been blogging for a short while, I've been reading and commenting on other peoples blogs for some time now. Many of those blogs are political, and the discussions can become, shall we say, heated. I have noticed one particular attack on bloggers by commenters that seems quite common, and I have even seen a few bloggers resort to it in reference to other bloggers. The attack begins with a question along the lines of, "What makes you think anyone cares what you think?" The essential charge is that bloggers are self-important proles who think their opinion is somehow of value to others.

And the charge is, to some extent, true. If we didn't think our ideas were original enough, important enough, or well expressed enough to pique others' interest, we wouldn't be blogging them -- we could merely save them to our C: drives in a word processing document and be done with it. But this is nothing new. Almost all human endeavor requires at least a modicum of confidence, even arrogance. Bloggers have that in common with everyone who has ever written a letter to the editor, submitted writing for publication, auditioned for a play or a band, held a concert, submitted a resume, or proposed marriage. They all believed that they had something to offer that the audience would find at least acceptable, and hopefully praiseworthy.

This is an essential feature of the human spirit. Call it confidence, arrogance, whatever you like. I call it hope. Proverbs 13:12 says, in part, Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Without hope, without the belief that we have a chance, however slim, of succeeding at something, we don't even bother trying. And what is confidence, if not self-induced hope?

The thing is, in many cases, we're right. Thank God that John Elway was "Arrogant" enough to believe he could play football, or Handel that he could compose music worth listening to. Imagine if Shakespeare hadn't had the self-importance to publish his writings. And the same is true of the Blogosphere. Just take a peek at the TTLB Ecosystem. There are plenty of blogs out there that get read, on a regular basis. The top few have a significant readership. And even a humble blog like mine gets a small but steady stream of hits. Apparently, there are plenty of us who DO have something worth saying.

Now, I'll admit, there are exceptions to this rule, and there are plenty of overrated celebrities, AND overrated bloggers, who don't deserve the attention they get. Humanity is fickle, and this is an inevitable result of that fickleness. And when that happens, it is altogether fitting that we expose the lack of substance supporting the adulation.

But let's not be so hypocritical as to criticize a blogger just for being so presumptuous as to, you know, blog. If that sort of presumption is banned, blogspot.com will be out of business tomorrow.

And you and I will be looking for something more productive to do with our time.

It Sure Beats Paying for Hammock Time

Thanks for the Memory to Tim Worstall

Not long after Tim and Triticale linked to my Niemoller Post, I saw a significant spike in the number of visitors to my site. So when I went to Tim's blog and noticed that he's blegging for a charity, I cound't resist the temptation to help.

Tom's started a campaign called the Anybody but Sully Project. His goal is to raise more funds than Sully did in his recent blegging campaign. Not orders of magnitude more, not even multiples of, just more than -- even if he only beats Sully by one red cent. All of the money qill go to a charity in Portugal (where Tim lives) that assists handicapped children through equestrian therapy.

Now, the charity alone plays my heartstrings like Jimmy Page. But toss a chance to sully Sully into the pot, and you have an irresistable mix. Go check it out, and if you can, give.

What Would Niemoller Think?

(Originally Posted 23 August 2005 at 9:54 AM PDT)

The other day, I posted a comment to this post on Triticale's blog. In it he recounts a story that's a sad example of just how dumb we've become. One of the reasons I titled my blog as I did is because it's my opinion that the quality of reasoning in America has gone rapidly downhill in recent years -- rapidly downhill as in "like a meteor in a gravity well". And I believe this lack of reason and logic is a major factor in the strident tone of modern political discourse -- because so many opinions are based on emotion and not on thinking, any dissent is viewed not merely as a philosophical difference, but a personal attack.

And so, I made the following comment, with apologies to Pastor Niemoller:

First they came for Logic, and I did not speak out, for I did not think logically.

Then they came for Reason, and I did not speak out, for I did not think reasonably.

Then they came for Thesis and Synthesis, and I did not speak out, for I did not think synthetically.

Finally they came for me, and I could no longer think for myself.

UPDATE 24 Aug 2004:
If you compare the quote above to the original or the ones quoted at Triticale or Tim Worstall, you'll notice that the order is slightly different. Last night as I was lying in bed, I realized that I wanted to put them in descending order from what I perceived as the most advanced of the three concepts, formal logic, to the most foundational, thesis and synthesis. This way, not only is it a fairly deft (if I do say so myself) play on Niemollers original quote, but it also shows the regression than can be observed in modern thought: starting with a lackadaisical attitude towards formal logic and the avoidance of fallacies, and deteriorating through a cessation of any reasonable attempt to make ones arguments correspond with ones conclusions, to the loss of any ability to synthesize original ideas from what you already know whatsoever.

As soon as I had this thought, I realized that if I made the change, and even more so if I explained the change, there would be some who would accuse me of thinking too much. This, of course, cemented my decision.

Swift Boat Tea Party

Thanks for the Memory to Michelle Malkin.

Borrowing insight from Belmont Club and Thomas Sowell, and then synthesizing it into her own piquant analysis, Michelle points out that this controversy represents a very serious threat to the mainstream media's pythonesque (and by that I don't mean Monty) grip on the minds, if not the hearts, of the American public.

For generations the media has constituted a de facto totalitarian regime ruling the realm of discourse in America. But the natives have been restless for years, as evidenced by the popularity of talk radio, the amazing success of Fox News, and most recently, the blogging phenomenon. The Powers That Be knew there were rebellious factions out there, but they managed to maintain control, managed to supress or ignore any story or information they did not approve.

But the Swift Boats issue has changed that. Despite the media's best efforts, the story got out. And ironically, it may have been the actions of their own Viceroy, John F Kerry, that finally made the difference. If Kerry hadn't so actively tried to supress this story, it may have gone nowhere. But by attacking it, he acknowledged it, and the genie was out of the bottle. Now the media must deal with a story they didn't generate, and their damage control efforts are in high gear.

While they may eventually succeed in this effort in regards to this story, the damage is done. A precendent has been set, and like the first shots in any revolution, what matters is not always who wins this skirmish, what matters is the fact that the war has begun.

Moments of Serendipity

Walking past the Red Register Guard newsstand this morning, I noted the following headline, which will be posted online at noon PDT.

Nader campaign says 25,000 signatures collected in Oregon

For those not familiar with Oregon election laws, if true, this means he'll be on the ballot as a presidential candidate, he will NOT have to rely on a write in vote.

Now, I have no illusions that he will siphon off as much of the Democratic vote as he did in 2000, but when you couple the number of extreme left voters in Oregon who WILL vote for Nader with the pro-Bush tendency I noted has been observed among many independents here, and for a Bush supporter, this is very very good news indeed.

Apparently Viagra Works

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

According to this article from NewsMax:

(my interpretation in italics)

Dole Defends Swiftees in Call From Kerry

Bob Dole gives John Kerry the mother of all pimp-slaps

Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole this morning to complain about Dole's demand a day earlier that he apologize to Vietnam veterans for protesting the war, the one-time Republican presidential candidate revealed Monday afternoon.

Presidential candidate John Kerry telephoned former Sen. Bob Dole this morning to whine about something that Dole has no control over, a recurrign theme for the Kerry campaign.

"John Kerry called me this morning, which surprised me," Dole told radio host Sean Hannity.

"I can't believe he had the chutzpah to complain to me," Dole told radio host Sean Hannity.

"He said he was very disappointed, we'd been friends. I said John, we're still friends, but [the Swiftvets] have First Amendment rights, just as your people have First Amendment rights.

"I said John, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. You brought it on yourself, now suck it up and be a man!"

Dole told Kerry, "I'm not trying to stir anything up, but I don't believe every one of these people who have talked about what happened are Republican liars.

"Sucks that people who know just what a weasel you are are finally singing, huh?"

"And very frankly, Bush is my guy, and I'm tired of people on your side calling him everything from a coward to a traitor to everything - a deserter."

"When you start slinging mud, you're bound to get some on yourself, jerk"

Dole said he urged Kerry, "Why don't you call George Bush today and say, 'Mr. President, let's stop all this stuff about the National Guard and Vietnam - and let's talk about the issues."

"Why don't you admit that you don't have a platform to run on, and all you have going for you is 'I served in Viet Nam'?"

Dole said Kerry responded, "I haven't spent one dime attacking President Bush."

But the Republican war hero shot back, "You don't have to. You've got all the so-called mainstream media, plus you've got MoveOn.org and all these other groups that have spent millions and millions of dollars trying to tarnish Bush's image."

"Don't tell me you don't know what some of these people are doing," he told Kerry.

"You're not only a hypocrite, John, you're an idiot if you think we can't all see right through it."

"Everybody likes quiet heroes," Dole added, saying he told Kerry, "John, everybody knows you were in Vietnam and the less you say about it, the better."

"If you're gonna remind us every 5 minutes that you served in Viet Nam, it's gonna come back to bite you on the butt."

Dole said he tried to end the tense conversation cordially by telling Kerry, "I wish you good luck, up to a point."

"But hey, don't feel bad, you still have a career as TerAYsuh's gigolo after this is all over."

-- end of article --

In other words, Bob Dole had the chance to say to John Kerry what every truth-loving American has wanted to, TO HIS FACE, and Bob Dole not only stepped up to the plate, he belted one over the center field fence.

Bravo, Mr. Dole.

Ferris Bueller Should Have Stayed in Class.

Thanks for the Memory to Blackfive.

I auditioned as a contestant on Win Ben Stein's Money about 6 years ago. I didn't make it. But while I never won his money, he's won my respect.

First there was this essay, which Stein offered as reason for relinquishing his E!online column in the final installment.

And now there's this from the August 18 edition of the WSJ. Like Blackfive, I'll quote the whole thing:

Strength At Home
By Ben Stein
August 18, 2004; Wall Street Journal, Page A10

(This is a letter I wrote to the newsletter of an Army unit called The Strykers, stationed in Iraq out of Ft. Lewis, Wash. The editor asked me what I would say to make the wives feel appreciated while their husbands are in Iraq. This is what I wrote to one soldier's wife.)

Dear Karen,

I have a great life. I have a wife I adore, a son who is a lazy teenager but I adore him, too. We live in a house with two dogs and four cats. We live in peace. We can worship as we please. We can say what we want. We can walk the streets in safety. We can vote. We can work wherever we want and buy whatever we want. When we sleep, we sleep in peace. When we wake up, it is to the sounds of birds.

All of this, every bit of it, is thanks to your husband, his brave fellow soldiers, and to the wives who keep the home fires burning while the soldiers are away protecting my family and 140 million other families. They protect Republicans and Democrats, Christians, Jews, Muslims and atheists. They protect white, black, yellow, brown and everyone in between. They protect gays and straights, rich and poor.

And none of it could happen without the Army wives, Marine wives, Navy wives, Air Force wives -- or husbands -- who go to sleep tired and lonely, wake up tired and lonely, and go through the day with a smile on their faces. They feed the kids, put up with the teenagers' surliness, the bills that never stop piling up, the desperate hours when the plumbing breaks and there is no husband to fix it, and the even more desperate hours after the kids have gone to bed, the dishes have been done, the bills have been paid, and the wives realize that they will be sleeping alone -- again, for the 300th night in a row.

The wives keep up the fight even when they have to move every couple of years, even when their checks are late, even when they have to make a whole new set of friends every time they move.

And they keep up the fight to keep the family whole even when they feel a lump of dread every time they turn on the news, every time they switch on the computer, every time the phone rings and every time -- worst of all -- the doorbell rings. Every one of those events -- which might mean a baseball score or a weather forecast or a FedEx man to me and my wife -- might mean the news that the man they love, the man they have married for better or worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, is now parted from them forever.

These women will never be on the cover of People. They will never be on the tabloid shows on TV about movie stars. But they are the power and the strength that keep America going. Without them, we are nothing at all. With them, we can do everything.

They are the glue that holds the nation together, stronger than politicians, stronger than talking heads, stronger than al Qaeda.

They deserve all the honor and love a nation can give. They have my prayers, and my wife's, every morning and every night.

Love, and I do mean Love,

Ben.

Mr. Stein, a television personality and writer, is co-author with Phil DeMuth of "Can America Survive," forthcoming from Hay House.

Exactly so, Mr. Stein. God bless you for saying it for me.

Twilight of the Gods

Deschutes Brewery is currently offering a seasonal brew called Twilight Ale. Usually I don't like really hoppy brews, but this stuff is ambrosia. I've also tried their Cinder Cone Red, which is also excellent and also billed as a seasonal ale, but aside from their winter-themed Jubal Ale, this Twilight does the most to actually invoke seasonal sentiments -- you can actually taste the late summer still-light-out-at-late-hours, summer starting to fade into fall when you sip it. Or maybe it's just me.

Either way, it's a delicious beer. To quote Ferris Bueller, I highly recommend it, if you have the means.

But where Has He Been Since Then?

Thanks for the Memory to Blogs for Bush.

Did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam? Really, he did. But according to a new poll, most Americans respond to that news the same way I do: So what?

The Rasmussen Reports survey also found that 76% say Kerry's political career since Vietnam matters more than his career in Vietnam. In terms of Election 2004 voting decisions, only 9% take the opposite view and say that Kerry's combat experience is more important.

Let's get one thing straight. The only reason we on the right are responding with such glee to all the trouble the Swift Vets are causing Kerry is because Kerry brought it on himself. He made his service a key selling point of his campaign, and now he has to deal with the consequences.

Quite frankly, I don't care if he was Viet Nam's answer to Audie Murphy. It's the reputation and history he has established for himself in the years since the war that trouble me. Setting aside his military career, the man's voting record (or lack thereof), his blatantly liberal political views, his imperious and thin-skinned attitude, all those are reason enough for me to vote against him. Remember, Benedict Arnold was quite a hero before he stabbed America in the back.

I don't intend to give Kerry a chance to repeat the performance.