Headlines for Monday 10/31/2005

Obesity Cause: Is It in the Brain?
I'm guessing no. It's probably the mouth

Woman gets donkey for her 50th birthday
"I said I wanted Jackass:The Movie not a moving jackass"

Late Pope's Ford Escort Sells for $690,000
Which is $589,999 over blue book

Naked Photographer Sentenced to Jail
Its only natural for him to be hanging out with the rest of the perverts

Depardieu Says He's Ending Career
Critics say last film mortally wounded career, hopes suffering ends quickly

City Council in N.D. Cancels Male Revue
Fargo Council members couldn't learn their dance routines in time

More Britons believe in ghosts than in God
Its enough to put the fear of Casper in a person

Geraldo's New Daily TV Show Debuts Monday
Investigative reporter to start new show with an in-depth look for an audience

City tackles titillating mannequins
Hollywood actresses flee as city cracks down on sexy dummies

Chesney: Losing Zellweger Hurts Like Having TV Stolen
Zellweger: Divorcing Chesney is like have an ass removed

That's it for Holloween Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness!

basil at basil's blog
Moe at Moe's Woes
The Capitalist at Laffin at the Left
Pluto's Dad at Eyes on the Ball News
moehawk at oystersnout
lyn at bloggin' out loud

Say It Isn't So Sulu!

This was a shocker. George Takei is gay. 'Star Trek' Actor George Takei Comes Out He was the absoulte last man in the original cast I would have thought was gay. Doohan must be rolling over in his grave. No wait he's about to be shot into space as ashes. This might explain why Sulu like to vacation on the Planet of Scantily Clad Leathermen.

Update: It all makes sense now...

No Bias Here

USA today published a picture of Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice.

But that was not the original image they used. They started with a doctored photo and then changed to the undoctored version later in the day. Can you see what they did to the image below?

USA Today had this to say:

'Editor's note: The photo of Condoleezza Rice that originally accompanied this story was altered in a manner that did not meet USA TODAY's editorial standards. The photo has been replaced by a properly adjusted copy. Photos published online are routinely cropped for size and adjusted for brightness and sharpness to optimize their appearance. In this case, after sharpening the photo for clarity, the editor brightened a portion of Rice's face, giving her eyes an unnatural appearance. This resulted in a distortion of the original not in keeping with our editorial standards.'

The photo didn't meet their standards but was used anyway. Hmmm. I am not buying it. Especially since I discovered that had they not been caught they would have gone the other way and used this doctored photo.

Good thing people were paying attention.

HAt Tip: Cutting Edge of Ectasy

Headlines for Thursday 10/27/2005

Bush Abandons Push for Miers Nomination
Said it would be pointless after Miers withdrew her nomination

Prince Albert's Take On Taking the Throne
"I would use the can if they would let me out of this can"

Robots May Allow Surgery in Space
Proof positive of our cyber-overlords benevolence

Calif. City OKs Medical Marijuana Office
City council hires Doobie Brothers to form joint chiefs

More school, celibacy for Weezer singer
As if he was really going to get girls being in a band called Weezer

Actor Hunter Reflects on Past in Memoir
All agree it wouldn't be a memoir if he reflected on his future

Man Trying to Shoot Cow Hits a Motorist
Motorist Rosie O'Donnell just winged, Judge says mistake understandable

Thousands Stage Mass Barbecue in Brazil
Thousands hospitalized after consuming unsafe Brazilian beef

Cabbie Accused of Tainting Food With Feces
That's why its called a poo poo platter

DNA Testing Allows African-Americans to Trace Ancestry
News met with dread by baby's daddies everywhere

King Tut Drank Red Wine, Researcher Says
Was forced to quit by activist group Mummies against Drunk Driving

That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness!

basil at basil's blog
Moe at Moe's Woes
The Capitalist at Laffin at the Left
Pluto's Dad at Eyes on the Ball News
moehawk at oystersnout
lyn at bloggin' out loud

The Perfect Gift

Okay, my birthday was last month but if you really want to get me a late gift, here is what I want. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes It came out earlier this month. It contains every one of the 3,160 strips printed during Calvin and Hobbes’ 10-year run. MSRP $150.00 and worth every penny. If you don't want to get it for me for my birthday, I would be willing to wait until Christmas.

You can read reprints of Calvin and Hobbes in the Dane Bramage Comics section everyday.

PGH: Quotable Saddam

The new Precision Guided Humor Assignment is in at The Alliance. This weeks’ question: What will be the most memorable quotes to emerge from the trial of Saddam Hussein?

The best quote will be from Saddam’s lawyer trying to explain away the mass graves:

“Genocide? My client is not guilty of genocide. My client merely enacted a program of population restructuring along ethnic lines. A program he was fully authorized to use as the beloved leader of a sovereign nation. A program used by many leaders before and since!”

Of course the best quotes will be from Saddam himself. But they are not likely to be permitted in court. Here are some highlights from Saddam’s incarceration:

Saddam and the prison population
“Keep an eye out as I go over the fence. Silence fool! You’ll alert the guards! Stop screaming! No! No! I was not trying to escape. I was OWWWW! OWWWW! MY SPLEEN!”

Saddam and the guards
“Your sister was what? Well I told my boys not to build those rooms, but you know kids they never OWWWW! OWWWW! MY SPLEEN!”

Saddam and his cellmate Bubba Al-Saddam-Azeer
“No I do not know how to squeal like a pig. I assure you your soap is not under there. What are you doing? OWWWW! OWWWW! MY SPLEEN!”

That Saddam. He really knows how to turn a colorful phrase. This has been a PGH Assignment.

Views of Colorado

Ahh the beauty of Nature. My good friend Paid Professional Tourist sent me these pics of his beloved Colorado. The storms are dropping snow already. I would be perfectly happy if Colorado got all the snow we are supposed to get here in the Buckeye State. (BTW, just what is Colorado’s nickname?)

Headlines for Monday 10/24/2005

Officer who stole snack chips reinstated
Randy "Frito Bandito" Reyna was given community service and a lessor charge of misdemeanor munchies abuse

Deputy Allegedly Pulls Gun on Slow Golfers
Determined to shoot a 64 no matter what

Indiana Jail Gets Funding for Toilet Paper
Hoozier hooskow finally finds fecal funding
(Note: What have they been putting in police water lately?)

Danes Design Singing Pillows for Soldiers
I did not!

Desperate Housewives IDs Basement Guy
Fingered blogger proclaims innocence

10 die as blasts rock reporters' hotels in Baghdad
Authorities suspect a suicide belt on a lobster at the buffet in the pool area

Woman Allegedly Steals to Bail Out Hubby
Hubby obviously didn't marry her for her brains

Man allegedly robs bank with pay stub note
It might have help to use a gun but now he can only be charged with aggrevated stupidity

Liver Transplants May Cure Rare Disease
Especially missing liver syndrome

BlackBerry's Creators Don't Forget Roots
Mike to name first born Kunta Kinte Lazaridis

That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness!

basil at basil's blog
Moe at Moe's Woes
The Capitalist at Laffin at the Left
Pluto's Dad at Eyes on the Ball News
moehawk at oystersnout
lyn at bloggin' out loud

How In the World Did I Miss This?

Up the Creek: Out to Embarrass Bush Over Alleged Video Stunt, Today Gets Caught in Stunt of Its Own :NewsBusters.org

Today's timing couldn't have been worse. A preceding segment focused on the incessant rains and ensuing flooding in the northeast. For days now, beautiful, blonde - and one senses highly ambitious - young reporter Michelle Kosinski has been on the scene for Today in New Jersey, working the story. In an apparent effort to draw attention to herself, in yesterday's segment she turned up in hip waders, standing thigh-deep in the flood waters.

Taking her act one step further, this morning she appeared on a suburban street . . . paddling a canoe. There was one small problem. Just as the segment came on the air, two men waded in front of Kosinki . . . and the water barely covered their shoe tops! That's right, Kosinski's canoe was in no more than four to six inches of water!

An embarrassed Kosinski claimed the water was deeper down the street but that her producers didn't want to let her go there for fear she'd drift away. But Katie and Matt, perhaps peeved by her attempted scene-stealing, couldn't resist ribbing her.

Matt: "Are these holy men, perhaps walking on top of the water?"

"Gee, is your oar hitting ground, Michelle?" inquired Katie, as she and Matt dissolved into laughter.

Moral of the story: people in canoes in a few inches of water shouldn't throw video-stunt stones.

Inbox Reflections

These items appeared in my email inbox. I thought I would share them with you:
Pullout
If you consider that there have been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theater of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2112 deaths, that gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000.

The rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in our Nation's Capitol, which has 20 some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: We should immediately pull out of Washington DC

---

I got this joke and it made me laugh. I give it to you after altering it to my political affiliation.

Blame Bush
Clinton, Kerry, Kennedy and Dean were sitting around strategizing.
"If we are going to make any gains in this election cycle we have to discredit the President", Hilary said.
"But how?" asked Kennedy. "He took full blame for Katrina and Rita and his numbers are starting to bounce back."
"Maybe there is some news from Iraq we can use," offered Kerry.
"Well it is reported that 3 Brazilian soldiers died today" said Clinton.
Dean jumped up and hollered "Yeeeeaarrh! That's it!"
He headed for the door.
"Are you sure that report is accurate?" Dean asked.
"Very sure," said Clinton.
"Ladies and gentlemen we have our quagmire!" shouted Dean as he bounded out of the room.
Clinton, Kerry and Kennedy just looked at each other with bewildered expressions.
Just then Dean stuck his head back into the room and asked, “Just so were clear, how many is a brazilian?”

---

The Power of Make Up


(NOTE: You can sign up at registeredmedia.com and get parody pictures like these by email)

Set Tasers to Deep Fat Fry

Mark over at Cutting Edge of Ectasy posts the Incendiary Taser Story.

According to television station WRAL, County deputies say Richard McKinnon was pulled over for a broken taillight in the Lake Upchurch area of Cumberland County. Authorities say McKinnon, also wanted on kidnapping and robbery charges, sped off, drove over a mailbox and hit a tree. McKinnon apparently had gasoline in the front seat of his vehicle, which splashed on his clothing. When an officer tried apprehend him using a Taser, the weapon set McKinnon's clothing on fire.

Crininals, smoking or non-smoking.

Headlines for Thursday 10/20/2005

Deadly Wilma eyeing Florida
After killing her husband Fred, Mrs. Flintsone seeks a quiet retirement community

Does Bed Rest Improve Outcome of Pregnancy?
Bed rest usually improves the input of pregnancy

Saturday night is dead
Foul play suspected; other days were elsewhere at the time.

World War II Airman Found Frozen in Glacier
News of Steve Rogers' discovery terrifies Red Skull

Stem Cell Hub Opens in Seoul
Specialties include Stem Cells and Rice Noodles, Sweet and Sour Stem Cells, and General Tso's Stem Cells

Group Condemns Chicken Choking Toy
Group now set sights on monkey spanking toy

Marriage Doesn't Affect Breast Cancer Survival
Doctors consider removing marriage from list of treatment options

Malaysian Who Pulled Jet With Hair Dies
Cause of death listed as terminal frizzies

Rice to Meet With Congress Over Iraq
Squimish congressmen urge SOS to relocate meeting to someplace on the ground and closer to home

Shatner examined after back complaint
Doctors fear probing where no man has gone before

That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects for more "headliney goodness!
basil at basil's blog
Moe at Moe's Woes
The Capitalist at Laffin at the Left
Pluto's Dad at Eyes on the Ball News
moehawk at oystersnout
lyn at bloggin' out loud

10 Reasons Evil Glenn Has an Alien

Chris Muir, author of the brilliant Day By Day comic, has photographic (or at least hand-drawn) evidence that Evil Glenn is harboring a space alien at his InstaCompound.

This has not escaped the notice of the Alliance of Free Blogs. The question on eveybody's mind is Why does Evil Glenn have an alien at his house? Again I sent my agent Deep Pup to the InstaCompound undercover. He smuggled out the Top 10 Reasons Evil Glenn Has an Alien

10. Alien puppy blending technology
09. People like aliens more than they like lawyers
08. Some aliens look like Kim Bassinger
07. Gort, Klaatu barada, nikto; It just rolls off the tongue
06. Some aliens look like Kim Cattrall
05. Finally someone to explain E.T.'s plot to Glenn
04. Some Aliens look like Kim Jong Il
03. Vaporizing trespassers
02. Two words. Vogon poetry

And the number one reason for an alien at the InstaCompound...
01. Insufficient border patrols

Now if you'll excuse me I have to plan an extraction op for Deep Pup. This has been a Filthy Lie.

The Black Informant - Love Undefined: The war against our men

Visit The Black Informant and read Love Undefined: The war against our men. It is an excellent post discussing the effects of the bombardment of pornographic images on fatherless boys in our society.

No longer is pornography limited to magazines that tucked away behind the counter of the local convenience store. In today’s world, pornography now comes in the form of magazines that are targeted towards men. Although these magazines do not contain nudity, there is very little left to the imagination. The same goes for movies (both big screen and television) that contain a love scene or two. Both music videos and the music itself contains high levels of adult material that should not be viewed by little eyes. The Internet provides an endless “no holds barred” cache of material that can be easily accessed by anyone at any time from any computer that does not have any kind of porn blocker software.

Let’s not forget that people like the ACLU have deemed pornography a constitutionally protected vice. They fight vigorously to protect filth peddlers’ right to display nudity and graphic scenes of sex. They even defend child pornography with their “slippery slope” arguments.
Duane goes on to site work from Dr. Judith Reisman, author of several studies on the effects of pornography on children including the U.S. Department of Justice, Juvenile Justice study, Images of Children, Crime and Violence in Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler (1989). One of Dr. Reisman studies, The Psychopharmacology of Pictorial Pornography Restructuring Brain, Mind and Memory and Subverting Freedom of Speech discusses Pornography’s Effect on the Developing Brain:

If the undeveloped child brain is psychopharmacologically altered by pornographic stimuli during waking and sleeping, this would violate claims of informed consent as it structurally alters the neurochemistry of the child’s brain, the child’s sense of self and of reality. Children react with fear to the stimulus of sexual touch and sexual scenes. Fear is a necessary reaction by the normal child organism to sexual stimuli, for their immaturity leaves the child completely without the cognitive or emotional tools to respond to sexual cues or touch. Children’s exposure to sexual triggers would produce greater or lesser states of alarm, that is trauma, resulting in altered neural systems with a low probability of the child victim being aware of the trauma that has altered her or his brain, mind, emotions and memory.

Duane adds:

With all of this activity going on in the minds of our children in the response to sexual images, it is no wonder why it takes an experienced and mature adult to help our kids process this kind of information. For young men, this is especially crucial.
When a father is not present, a young man is left to his own vices to figure out what love to a woman really means. Any man who has been happily married for a long period of time will be able to tell you that love to a woman is way more than just sex. He will be quick to point out that things like commitment and patience play a much bigger role in the relationship. These are qualities that cannot be fully demonstrated in 4 min, 30 second music video yet many of our boys are left with this as the only option for them to see a “relationship” in action.

It is no wonder that God ordained the family. The more we stray from God's plan for the family the more messed up our society becomes. And the Black community seems to be suffering a disproportionate amount.

While Duane focuses on fatherlessness, I want take a step back and talk about the parents who are present and what they should do about pornography. You can ask ten different Blacks about who is “responsible” for the pornographic imagery which bombards our youths today. You will get ten different answers ranging from “the White man seeking to cash in on Black misery and promoting discord within the community” to “self-centered Black entertainers caring only about their own wealth and fame”. Honestly who is responsible is not that important. Who is responsible for changing what images bombard our children is a no brainer. We are. And it doesn’t take a massive Million Person Movement to accomplish. It takes a little vigilance, some dialogue and total control over the TV remote. Block pornographic channels from your home. Obviously you keep stations like the Playboy Channel out. As a Christian I fail to see the need for adults to watch that crap. But it also includes HBO, Cinemax and Showtime who claim to offer family programming during “family times” and then pipe adult content in at other times.

And don’t stop there. Broadcast television is not immune. Can you watch a prime time television show and not see an adult situation? I don’t even watch sitcoms anymore. You can only take so many single entendres and gay jokes. The important thing is that the young children in my household do not see porn or near porn. I don’t even let them watch MTV because of the state of rap music videos today. I control what gets into my home and I am responsible for what images shapes the minds of the little eyes that see it. I urge Black parents to take the same responsibility.

And don’t surrender that responsibility to the public school system. Know what is being taught to your kids by the teachers and faculty, by the extra-curricular activities, and by your children’s friends. “Whoa!” you say, how do I find all that out? Talk to your kids. Young elementary school aged minds learn a great deal everyday. You should ask them what they learned, what programs they participated in and who they played with ON A DAILY BASIS! If you don’t like what you are hearing then you remove your child from that environment. Don’t let money be an issue. You are talking about your child's development, their future. What is the price on that? I look forward to Duane’s next installment.
Hat Tip: EddieButler.com

Al Qaedas New Plan

This week’s Precision Guided Humor Assignment involves Al-Qaeda.

In a recently intercepted letter from Ayman al-Zawahiri (#2 guy) to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (#1 guy), al-Zucchini lays out a 4-step plan to bring victory to the terrorist forces. It is long and boring and doomed to failure. I on the other hand have a sure fire strategic plan to destroy America. It is in three simple phases and I am confident that it would bring our beloved country to its knees. So please don’t let this plan get to Al-Qaeda.

Phase 1:
Increase awareness of Islam during the month of atonement with lively 50’s tunes. Code Name: Ramadan-a-ding-dong.
Phase2:
Make sure Muslims agents infiltrate all areas of American culture. With at least 1 Muslim in every social, political and economic arena in America, it becomes easier to pull in more. Code name: Slippery Slopeydopes.
Phase 3:
Destroy everything American from within. Pervert the history, suppress the Christian religion, and promote policies that divide the nation while slowly committing genocide. Code Name: Voting Democrat.

You see the danger. They must be stopped.  This has been a PGH assignment.

Headlines for Monday 10/17/2005

Liberal Hopes Ebb in Post-Storm Poverty Debate
Their only hope is to breed more poor pepole and get them to vote Democrat

Documents Show Supreme Court Nominee's Close Ties to Bush
Democrats cry foul and demand Bush nominate a total stranger

'Spamalot' recoups its $12M investment
Audiences were treated to male-enhancement drugs, low mortgages and cheap Canadian pharmaceuticals

ABC News Replacing Koppel With 3 Anchors
Move will honor Koppel's role as dead weight and his ability to keep the show from going anywhere

Stallone returning for sixth 'Rocky'
Script:Balboa takes on Foreman after launching a line of tabletop grilling machines

African Food for Africa's Starving Is Roadblocked in Congress
A tiny detail about Africa's food is still being bought by American money

Video in the News: Where Is Columbus Buried?
Study confirms Ohio capitol buried on I-71 between Mansfield and Cincinnati

Analyses of Floodwater Find Lower Levels of Toxic Chemicals Than Feared
Findings are in keeping with lower levels of everthing feared as reported by the MSM

Ricky Martin says fame left him bored
Has-been singer now finds fame has left him alone

Dragonfly Migration Tracked With Tiny Radio Tags
Lodging and eating habits studied by tracking credit card transactions

Etheridge: I used medicinal marijuana
Singer upset that her insurance didn't cover perscriptions filled by her soundman's second cousin


That's all for today. Be sure to check out the usual suspects for more Headliney Goodness!

lp's for bloggin' out loud
basil's blog
Eyes on the Ball News

Millions More - Same Stuff Different Year

I was reading Booker Rising and Shay posted some notes form Casey Lartigue about his experiences at the Millions More Movement this past weekend.

Some express disappointment that the 1995 rally didn't lead to much change. How could it? A rally might be able to push some legislation. But it isn't going to get gang members to stop gangbanging. It isn't going to get lazy people moving any faster. It isn't going to stop teens from having sex and making babies while they are still babies themselves. And the black thugs who weren't even aware that the event was going on aren't going to stop being thugs.

Even if all of the speakers got everything that they wanted (put Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Halliburton in jail and a reparations check for every black person), I seriously doubt that things would change very much. That's because people who don't have skills or knowledge for the academic or work worlds won’t be better prepared because of what the speakers had to say about Bush and company.

That in a nutshell is the problem I have with current Black leadership. They talk and talk and talk and change nothing. What do they hope to accomplish by ceaseless attacks on white conservatives like Bush? Do they think if enough Black people get angry they will overthrow the government? Or maybe they are trying to direct enough rage at White corporate America so that the government and businesses will have not choice but to give every black forty acres and a mule. "The White Racist Capitalist is the devil! He had better redistribute his wealth to us now or we will riot and trash our own neighborhoods!" Yeah that'll show 'em. I have never like the idea of reparations. The fact that the idea survives to this day only shows how deeply rooted the entitlement mentality is in the Black community. When did getting a check become the primary goal of people with grievances? And how much money would it take to completely erase the injustices visited upon our forefathers? $500.00? $10,000.00? It wouldn't matter if every black in this country got a check for a fifty grand, nothing would change. Because money is not the problem, it is not the answer.

What is the point? Where is the voice of reason? Who has an actual plan to better the plight of Black people in this country? No one in Black leadership does; unless you call blaming all the problems of Blacks on whites a plan.

Headlines for Tuesday 10/11/2005

Original R.E.M. members rock wedding
Angry bridal party stones band for disrupting ceremony

Cold remedies -- new twists on old products
You still feed a fever but now you allow colds to die with dignity

Lincoln National to Acquire Jefferson-Pilot
George and Weezy move into rich apartment and meet their new maid and goofy British neighbor

Spears' Auction Concludes - Without Bra
Singer's topless antics fail to revitalize stalled career

Nobel prize sparks war of words
Then degenerates into brawl as Peace Prize nominees fist fight over award

Palm Springs Hosts First Mr. Gay Contest
Winning contestant was weak in the Singing Show Tunes competition but blew the others away in the Evening Gown competition

Peruvian prison holds beauty contest
Apparently Palm Springs wasn't the only place to have a Mr. Gay Contest

Eminem fuels rumors with hits CD
Discriminating listeners fuel bonfires with Eminem CDs

Fan Catches Two of Astros' Home Run Balls
Spokesman for the Jetsons says family dog is resting comfortably after re-attachment surgery

New Orleans' tourists head elsewhere
Anticipation builds for first ever Mardi Gras of Fargo ND

Woman, 97, Gets Postcard After 27 Years
It was an overdue book notice from the library. Fines now total $1,245,647.45

Wis. Residents Raise Stink Over Manure
Residents claim manure fouls the smell of their dairy air

That's it for today's Headlines. Be sure to visit the usual suspects for more headliney goodness. And while you're at it check out Lyn's site lp's weblog - For Bloggin' Out Loud.
The site has great visual appeal and funny headlines.

HBS XXXV: Do We Surrender to Our Own Military?

(Note: This is late. But I wanted to respond anyway. I hope the Homespun folks understand)

The HBS XXXV is up and has a question about missions creep:

This week President Bush is kicking around the idea of increasing the role of the US armed forces in reacting to major natural disasters here at home. This seems to be pushing up against the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 pretty hard. This law prevents the US military from acting in a law enforcement role within our borders. Following the Civil War, it made sense to provide a sense of sovereignty to the states that had law behind it from enforcing an overbearing federal government from wrongly using federal troops in a domestic role.

What are your thoughts about this mission creep for our military, especially in a time when we're at war with a major portion of our forces engaged?

Well my pastor has already made his feelings known and asked us to write the President and let him know how we felt. My feelings are that this is a bad, BAD BAD idea basically for two reasons.

First it tells us and the rest of the world that the government sector is incompetent. That is not true. Katrina showed us that civilian authorities can be flawed and caught unawares. At the risk of sounding like a partisan hack, in my opinion the failure of the civilian response to Katrina was the result of poor DEMOCRATIC leadrship. When given the go ahead, government and civilian agencies responded in spectacular fashion. The only plus the military has is organization. Everyone knows their place and their job and they just do it. The civilian world is a little more complicated, but every bit as capable. This is evident by the successful response to all hurricanes prior to Katrina.

Second it scares me whenever we allow the military to step in amd run things. I was not at all happy to see the national guard in the airports post 9/11. Any security I may have felt was overwhelmed by nervousness. The military's role is very specific. They are to defend this nation from it's enemies. It is a job they do VERY well and I am thankful for. But I don't think you can stretch the definition of natural disaster enough to make it an enemy of America. Any state can ask for assistance from the military when then want, but I think that should be a last resort, after all the local and state options have been exhausted. There is no need to expand the military's role to automatically include such domestic duties.

When Did Bush’s Presidency Start Failing?

Was I asleep or something? Jim Hoagland, a Washington Post columnist had this to say in his op ed Can wise counsel find Bush's willing ear

Bush's floundering since he was caught off base and off guard by Hurricane Katrina strips the veil from a broad pattern of recurrent inattention to the duties of governance, of misplaced loyalty to incompetent subordinates and a crippling refusal to look back at and learn from mistakes.

Kind of harsh but not completely unexpected from the WaPo. I know the President has taken a severe hit on his approval rating since Katrina but is he on the verge of “lame duckness” with three years still left in his presidency?The liberal press would like you to think so. Hoagland suggests that Bush get himself a good “friend” who would tell him how badly he is screwing up, for GW’s own good of course. Only then can President Bush salvage the presidency and the country from the mess he’s made of it.

Really? I suppose Mr. Hoagland thinks that anyone who thinks that the President isn't on the verge of ruining the nation suffers from the same disease as the President and wouldn't make a good "friendly ear".

I believe that the country would do better if they stopped listning to partisan doomsayers like Hoagland and his ilk.

Tra La LaLaLaLa La La La La BOOM!

Well as if things couldn't get stranger, UNICEF has declared war on the Smurfs. Well not really. They just want to exploit the tiny blue annoyances to raise money. Interestingly enough they do it by bombing the smurf out of them. The Telegraph article Unicef bombs the Smurfs in fund-raising campaign for ex-child soldiers explains the campaign while this link shows the video. And while most of us right thinking adults believe the images are deplorable, is there anyone out there besides me who secretly thinks that the little blue pukes deserved it? Anyone? Bueller?

Hat Tip: Darth Apapthy

Headlines for Tuesday 10/4/2005

Global sea levels could rise 30 cm by 2100- study
This year's 0.126 inch rise expected to keep millions off the beaches

Statues of Ancient Goddesses Discovered
But you still have to hand it to Venus De Milo

Judge: Deaf, Mute Incompetent for Trial
It's a wonder he ever passed the bar let alone made it to the bench

Author John Gray Says Jennifer Aniston-Brad Pitt Marriage 'Didn't Have a Chance From the Get-Go
Relationship expert made claim after seven months of separation and a divorce suit

Elian Gonzalez, 11, calls Castro 'friend', 'father'
Gonzalez family calls Janet Reno 'Mother', 'f****r'

Father of Valium dead at 97
He looks really REALLY peaceful

Bar Made From Arctic Ice Opens in London
Expected to close soon due to global warming. Owners plan to sue Bush

World toilet summit lifts lid on public hygiene
Angry women then demanded they but the seat back down after they were done

Witchcraft training gets tax break
Deductions allowed for tuition and grimoires but not Eye of Newt and other school supplies

Oxygen helped mammals grow, study finds
Scientists determined that breathing was generally a good thing for living creatures

That's it for Headlines today. Remember to visit the usual suspects, basil, Moe, moehawk, The Capitalist and Eyes on the Ball News for more headliney goodness!

Busy This Week

I am taking classes all week so my blog time is limited. I will try to get back up to speed next week.