Virgin Mary Blows Through Northern Italy

The Virgin Mary's whirlwind "Visit the Suckers Faithful Tour 2005 is in full swing. The Blessed Madonna started her tour as a salt stain on an overpass in Chicago earlier this year. Thursday her tour continued with a performance of Pygmalion; not the Shaw play but the actual Greek myth. Statue Come to Life? says that a marble and plaster statue of Mary came to life briefly.

Thousands of pilgrims have flocked to a church in southern Italy since word spread over the weekend that a statue of the Virgin Mary has repeatedly come to life before stunned faithful, Italian media reported.

At first, witnesses said the movement was limited to the statue's leg and vest. As news spread, more people said they saw the statue's ears and face turn to flesh. Some mentioned a bright light.

An unnamed source close to the Blessed Virgin said they are keeping mum about her next venue.

"We are keeping an eye on the box office for this gig and if the numbers stay solid I can guarantee the next appearance will knock everyone's socks off. I mean we've done salt stains we've done visions in the sky and we just added the living statue to our repertoire. The next appearance will be spectacular"

Meanwhile thousands of faithful gather around an old church in Italy and try to catch The Madonna moving with their camera-phones. Bishop Giovanni Rinaldi says he will evaluate the testimony before considering bringing the case before the Vatican. A process which must mimic in many ways interviewing trailer park residents about alien abductions.

Headlines for Friday 7/29/2005

DaimlerChrysler's Schrempp to Step Down
Will join brothers Moe and Larry in retirement

Cell Phones That Literally Locate Love
Cingular annouces autodialing 900 numbers

Al Qaeda's Next Generation Spurring New Wave of Attacks?
Jean Al-Picard and Osama bin Ryker strap a tri-colbalt device to Wesley and beam him out

Arm Yourself with Vigilance While Traveling
Meet my Glock 26 codenamed "Vigilance"

Learn More About the Devastating Famine in Niger
For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day we will keep your money and send our best wishes to the starving in Niger

Car Involved in Diana Crash to Be Examined
Experts excited to look over vehicle after all its only been eight years

Moby Has Newfound Respect for Eminem
Moby invites Eminem to next Bald Talentless Hack club meeting

And vsit the usual suspects, basil, moehawk, Moe, and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!

Time to Chlorinate the Gene Pool

In the article Who wouldn't fall for such a clever trick? a woman was conned out of 50000 euros.

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian couple stole 50,000 euros from a woman in the Sicilian city of Palermo after convincing her they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the Anti-Christ if she did not pay them.

The man, a cabaret singer, and his girlfriend took the money from their victim over four years by selling her pills at 3,000 euros each that they said would abort the Anti-Christ's son.

Police uncovered the fraud after the 47-year-old woman's family became concerned when they discovered she had spent all her savings, local news agencies AGI and ANSA reported

It is probably a good thing this woman hasn't reproduced. But how do you set up a con like this? I can just image the man walking up to this woman, arm held at eye level with a cape draped over it and saying "Blah! Blah! Give me money or have the Anti-Christ's son! Blah!" Would this even work in the U.S.? I think not. The con man would probably be hospitalized after getting his butt kicked by a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" wanna-be. Sheesh.

I Guess Every Village Needs at Least One!

I am 90% Idiot.

I am such a friggin' idiot. The good news is I don't care if I annoy people because I am too stupid to realize it. I count with my fingers and live in ignorant bliss. Weeeeeee!

Take the
Idiot Test
@ FualiDotCom

Now honestly do you really believe I'm that stupid? Ouch! You didn't have to be that honest. I TRIED to score high. No really!

Headlines for Tuesday 7/26/2005

Jail for Nigerian bank fraudster
Man you mean that email I got was real?!

Egypt Had Warning Before Deadly Attack
Leaders couldn't beleive terrorist would actually attack THEM

Mass. Emergency Contraception Bill Vetoed
It's too late to prevent Ted Kennedy and John Kerry so why bother

Researcher Trying to Breed Tropical Fish
Attributes lack of success to fish not calling him after second date

Zoo Director Becomes Spider Monkey's Mom
After a difficult delivery monkey and mom are doing fine

Farmer killed by falling cow
Killer offered to Bill Clinton for Chelsea
What up with all the animals in the news lately?

Rare island birds threatened by 'super mice'
Pest control seeks kryptonite solution


And vsit the usual suspects, basil, moehawk, Moe, and The Capitalist for more headliney goodness!

Moe's Woes: Liars

Okay I had a little fun at Moe's expense with the whole hippie thing. But Moe has some pretty insightful stuff at times. I particularly liked this post Moe's Woes: Liars which deal with how Islam feels about lies and deception. Moe cites from their own Koran (Quran Qu'ran whatever...)

Bukhari:V7B67N427 “The Prophet said, ‘If I take an oath and later find something else better than that, then I do what is better and expiate my oath.’”

Qur’an 9:3 “Allah and His Messenger dissolve obligations.”

Qur’an 66:1 “Allah has already sanctioned for you the dissolution of your vows.”

Bukhari:V4B52N268 “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘War is deceit.’”

Qur’an 4:142 “Surely the hypocrites strive to deceive Allah. He shall retaliate by deceiving them.”

Bukhari:V7B71N661 “Magic was worked on Allah’s Apostle and he was bewitched so that he began to imagine doing things which in fact, he had not done.”

Bukhari:V6B60N8 “Umar said, ‘Our best Qur’an reciter is Ubai. And in spite of this, we leave out some of his statements because Allah’s Apostle himself said, “Whatever verse or revelation We abrogate or cause to be forgotten We bring a better one.”

Interesting. How can you have a religion of Peace built on lies? Allah can never claim to be Truth and advocate lying. You know the Bible tells us who is the Father of lies. Jesus said;

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Murdering liars, do we know of any religious group that fit that description?

Not a Hippie

I found this over at Moe's. I took it and I was very pleased.

I am 1% Hippie.

What? Am I a Republican? Why did I even bother taken this test?! I guess I’ll back to my George W. Bush fan club and tell them I just wasted 10 minutes of my life. At least I don’t stink, man.

Take the
Hippie Test
@ FualiDotCom

Moe however is a smelly tie-die wearing, flower loving VW driving, bona fide HIPPIE! (Actually he only scored 12% but that is way too much hippie for my tastes) Hey Moe what were you doing in the sixties?! What do you mean you weren't born yet! Sheesh.

The Pulpit Pounder: Now It Begins

Why do the work when someone else has already done it? Makrothumeo at The Pulpit Pounder has this post Now It Begins where he samples the left's responses to Judge John Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court. I would have done it myself but he beat me to it. No really I would have gotten around to blogging about it. Eventually. Check it out.
I particularly like the comment made by NOW.

NOW--"Bush Picks Anti-Roe Judge...Women's Lives on the Line" (No, I'm not kidding, that's what it says).

He concludes with this warning:

So for all those blogging out there today that this is going to be a slam-dunk winner and the lefties are going to be reasonable and responsible, guess again.

I never expected the left to be reasonable and responsible. I love the fact that President Bush did everything asked of him, consulted with the Dems, nominated a man of character and legal knowledge. AND Judge Roberts had been confirmed for his current position by Republicans and Democrats. It will make the left look that much more foolish and unstable when they oppose (and I think they will oppose him) Judge Roberts.

'Star Trek' Star James Doohan Dies

'Star Trek' Star James Doohan Dies

Star Trek fans everywhere are saddened by the loss of another original series actor.

James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and movies who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died Wednesday. He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.

He had said farewell to public life in August 2004, a few months after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

I had the pleasure of seeing Doohan twice in person. He was a great storyteller and his talent with voices was phenomenal. He really knew how to work a crowd. He made no bones about his dislike for William Shatner. I wonder if they ever reconciled. He loved his job and he accepted "Scotty" as an important part of his life. He will be greatly missed. He had an interesting take on the line "Beam me up, Scotty"

In a 1998 interview, Doohan was asked if he ever got tired of hearing the line "Beam me up, Scotty."

"I'm not tired of it at all," he replied. "Good gracious, it's been said to me for just about 31 years. It's been said to me at 70 miles an hour across four lanes on the freeway. I hear it from just about everybody. It's been fun."

Warp speed Mr. Scott!

An Army of One....Just One

I found this article Schadenfreude: An Army of One....Just One while perusing my blogrolls. Here's an excerpt :

Now, with a war waging against a shadowy and elusive enemy, there is a lot more grey. Kids aren't buying the "money for college" line like they used to. The Soldiers we are getting now understand what's at stake. These are America's true patriots. These kids are joining up knowing there's a war on, understanding the battle lines are not static, and answering the call of the bugle with pride and fortitude.

You should read the entire thing but the reason I chose to share this with you is because it goes along with something I have been meaning to do for a long time. Well not that long seeing as I have only been blogging since April 6th. I have been meaning to tell you about my friend Glenn.

Glenn and I have known each other for almost twenty years. A couple of years ago Glenn did something I consider extraordinary. He joined the Navy Reserves. Since we were sharing a room at the Origins Game Expo this year I thought I would ask him about his decision.

DB: When did you join the Navy Reserves? What part?

Glenn: I joined August 22 of 2003. I came in under the advance pay grade program for non prior service personnel. In August of last year I passed my Exam for promotion and was advanced to petty officer third class. I was originally with a Frigate augment unit I have recently began to drill with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 26 detachment 13(Seabee are how they are referred as).I am in the process of working on Seabee combat warfare pin and My Air detachment assignment is with the Tactical Movement Team.

DB: How old were you then?

Glenn: I had just turned 36 the month before.

DB: What made you decide to enlist?

Glenn: Partly because of 9/11 and partly because I have always wanted to enlist. It just took sometime to say I am going to do it.

DB: Were people surprised?

Glenn: Yes and no. Most of my friends knew I had an interest in military history. They were not that surprised that I had done it. They where surprised that it took only a couple of weeks for it all to get done and I really did not talk to anyone about it until it was done.

DB: Does your family support your decision?

Glenn: For the most part yes they do. My grandma was very pleased that I went into the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy as a Seabee in WWII. This past Memorial Day I went out with my mom and grandma to see that side of the family. We also visited my grandfather’s grave. I left my two challenge coins there at the grave. One for making petty officer third class and one the generic Seabee challenge coin.

DB: Will you be going to Iraq?

Glenn: Yes the battalion is slated to be deployed sometime next year. I have a good idea of when I am not saying when to keep operational security. We also have a good idea as to which Air Det will be going. This would be a good time to explain that term as stated Seabees are formed most of the time in a battalion structure with companies and platoon and squads (we use the marine infantry organization) but most of the time we deploy as what is called an Air Det which is roughly 120 people and that is supposed to self sustaining for so many days.

DB: How do you feel about that?

Glenn: I am nervous to be honest but like a lot of the sailors in the Bees a little excited by the idea of being forward deployed and doing our jobs. We are some of the best civil action folks out there. Winning hearts minds and teaching trades to local population. So the idea of being out there to help people and my shipmates is important as well.

DB: What’s the worst thing that's happened to you regarding your decision?

Glenn: The cost incurred while I had to take care of my teeth so I am capable of being deployed.

DB: What's the best thing?

Glenn: The best thing I would to say is the friendships I have developed in the Navy. I have had a chance to meet some real stand up people and what I like best so far about the Bees everybody works. With Compassion for others We Build- We fight for peace with Freedom. Can Do

Thanks for your service Glenn and Godspeed!

Ben Stein: We Were Soldiers Once, and Broke

I admire Ben Stein a great deal. Here is a piece he wrote for the NY Times. We Were Soldiers Once, and Broke He states;

What keeps going through my mind is that there is a big, yet always unstated, connection between these two groups of men and women - on one hand, the megastars of Wall Street and corporate boardrooms, with their vast paychecks, yachts and horse farms in the Hamptons, and, on the other, the grunts in body armor chasing down terrorists half a world away in 130-degree heat.

The link is that the men and women of Wall Street and of corporate America do their very important work - and it is vital work, indeed - inside a box of security and safety created by the courage of the men and women who wear battle dress uniforms and ride down the highway of death in Iraq in armored personnel carriers handling machine guns.

The men and women in the Armani suits, who get the huge paychecks - and who, again, do work I sincerely appreciate and admire - could not exist for long if they were not being shielded by the men and women in uniforms and boots.

Ben suggests that some of these upper crust financial types who pull in multimillion dollar salaries pay more taxes and our soldiers get more pay. I cautiously agree. But I don't want to sound like a tax and spend democrat who wants to redistribute the wealthy's money. I just believe that our servicemen and women deserve money and benefits more in line with the risks to life and limb that they face every day.

Hat Tip Powerline

This Just in Via Email...

Things that make you go Hmmmm...

COWS: Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government
can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington. And they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.

CONSTITUTION: They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore.

TEN COMMANDMENTS: The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a Courthouse? You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery" and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians! It creates a hostile work environment!

MARTHA STEWART: George Carlin said it bestabout Martha Stewart;

"Boy, I feel a lot safer now that she's behind bars. O.J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the one woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and haul her off to jail.

Medic Shot in Chest Captures Shooter

Watch this video.

During a routine patrol in Baghdad June 2, Army Pfc. Stephen Tschiderer, a medic, was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper, hiding in a van just 75 yards away. The incident was filmed by the insurgents.

Tschiderer, with E Troop, 101st “Saber” Cavalry Division, attached to 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, was knocked to the ground from the impact, but he popped right back up, took cover and located the enemy’s position.

After tracking down the now-wounded sniper with a team from B Company, 4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army Brigade, Tschiderer secured the terrorist with a pair of handcuffs and gave medical aid to the terrorist who’d tried to kill him just minutes before.

(Hat Tip Disposable Wisdom)

Mover Mike :The Effect of Kelo on Religious Institutions

Mover Mike has an interesting post The Effect of Kelo on Religious Institutions.

"religious institutions that are, by nature, non-commercial and, by law, tax exempt, would be the first to be targeted by the bulldozers because of their alleged lack of economic contribution to the community,"

What will elected officials do if a religious institution wants to purchase property in a high growth area? Combine that desire to purchase with the church's moral stand against revenue raising gambling and you have another threat to the institution's plans, but also its tax exempt status.

All the more reason for Christians to fight this piece of judicial activism.

If Al-Qaida Has Nukes in U.S.

The Homespun Blogger Symposium XXIX question this week is tough. Based on the Worldnet Daily article Al-Qaida nukes already in U.S. from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, we are to assume that Al-Qaida has between 12 and 70 nuclear devices and many have been smuggled into the U.S. through the wide open Mexican border.

The question is : What do we do about this potential threat not only to the United States, but to the global economy and the history of mankind?

Well IF the information is true then we have quit a task to accomplish if we want to prevent Al-Qaida from realizing it’s “American Hiroshima” plan. According to Farah the nuclear devices are the size of a suitcase. A needle in a haystack would be child’s play to find compared to a suitcase in the U.S. so trying to find these devices is not a good solution. Trying to find the agents who would deploy these devices would have a better chance of success. The job of identifying and apprehending these terrorists is on going and working to a certain degree. If the intelligence community felt a nuclear attack was imminent then throwing more money and agents onto the job would be our only recourse. But one need only imagine replacing the conventional explosives of the London bombers with nuclear devices and we can see how effective this course of action would be. It is believed that there are enough sleeper agents in the U.S. to pull off the American Hiroshima. Our agents couldn’t find them all in time.

Another approach would be to somehow deter the terrorist from wanting to nuke America. Somehow we would have to convince the terrorist leaders that destroying the U.S. and wrecking the global economy would be a bad thing. We can educate them on how a wrecked global economy would be worse in most Muslim nations. We could threaten to vaporize Damascus and other Middle East cities in a retaliatory nuclear strike. We can tell them the horrors of nuclear winter and the slow death of the world. In short convince them of the horrors of Mutually Assured Destruction. In this we should have no problem enlisting the aid of other nations who would also suffer. Most everybody agrees terrorism is bad and all rational beings know that no one would win a nuclear war. But this ploy would only work on people who care. A man who is willing to strap a bomb to his chest and blow himself to bits isn’t going to care about devastated global markets or nuclear fallout. We are dealing with people who are driven only by hatred. People who want to destroy America at any cost, even if the rest of the world has to suffer.

I said this was an interesting question. I don’t think there is much we can do if Al-Qaida has nukes. Whether or not they get used against America depends not so much on Homeland Security, the FBI, or CIA. I think it will depend on normal everyday Christians. This nation was founded on Christian principles. Christ is why the Muslims hate us, not decadent lifestyles. But more and more each day all mention of our Christian heritage is being stripped from our history books. Religious symbols are being removed from public view. God is being removed from our country. If Christians do not stop this trend, I think American Hiroshima will be inevitable. So what do we do about this potential threat not only to the United States, but to the global economy and the history of mankind? We turn to God for protection. He has not let us down yet.

Who's Been Here and Where'd They Come From

When you go to Site Meter and check out the referrals to your blog you find some interesting things. A link from TTLB led me to GENUINE. I am an absolute superhero fan! So when I saw Captain America, well I new I had another blog to visit. Not that it's about superheroes, it is an interesting read.

Genuine had a link to A Hamburger Today It is 8:22 in the frickin' morning and now I want burnt cow meat! Smother the baby in onions, bacon, 'shrooms and cheese and call me happy!

On a disturbing note, I have been getting a bunch of hits from Google searches looking for Forsake The Troops. The good natured optimist in me believes they are looking for the great news I posted about that cesspool site being shut down. The jaded opportunist in me says hits are hits so read my post about "Forsake the Troops". In fact here's the permalink to my post on USAF Take Out "Foresake the Troops"
[/shameless self promotion]

Yesterday Was an Important Day

How could something like this have happened? I forgot one of the most important days ever! Did you know that Thursday was trash day? I should have suspected something when I saw all the trash bags on the curb. Oh well.

And on a historical note, Thursday was Bastille Day. It is the day that French everywhere celebrate the genius that is Jerry Lewis. I have found a photo of a typical Frenchman.





I also have a photo of the typical left wing America-hating French butt-kissing democrat.





And here is the famous google search results for French Military Victories

...

---

In honor of the day I have composed a little poem.

Ode to France

Zoot Alors! Hoot Azors!
Cheese eating monkeymen
Stormed an old prison and
Launched a new way!

Since that July date these
Capitulationists
Live to surrender or
just run away.

Congrats to the frogs. National birthdays get me all patriotic so here is a more or less accurate quiz result.

You Are 100% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges. Tough and independent, you think big. You love everything about the US, wrong or right. And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

How Can You Tell If Someone Is A Terrorist?

They say clothing makes the man and it is especially true for terrorists. Todays suicide bomber likes to dress for success and that is what gives him away. The top ten signs you may be dealing with a terroist are:

• 10. He goes to a White Sale for head wear.


• 9. He wears "Martyrdom is a Blast" tee shirts.


• 8. He holds his pants up with Det Cord.


• 7. He has a "My Child was a Martyr: They Blow up so Fast Don't They" tee shirt.


• 6. His vests comes in small, medium, loud, and extra damage.


• 5. Where he shops for clothes determines whether he uses cash or plastique.


• 4. His camel hair sweater makes him homesick.


• 3. He buys his own burial suit in advance and it's a Glad sandwich bag.


• 2. His flare jeans use actual flares.

And the number 1 sign you may be dealing with a terrorist is:

• 1. His jacket is measured by blast radius instead of shoulder width.

This has been a Precision Guided Humor assignment!

Can a Devout Muslim Be An American Patriot and Loyal Citizen?

I came across this article attributed to Dr. A. Shorrosh, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, in my church bulletin. I have not been able to find the article itself but it has been repeated on several religious forums going back as far as 2003. Still it is an interesting read. I did find Dr. Shorrosh's website Islam in Focus. It was updated March of this year. Anyway Dr. Sharrosh asks and answers:
Can a devout Muslim be an American patriot and loyal citizen?

• Theologically, no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon god of Arabia.


• Scripturally, no. Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Quran.


• Geographically, no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns to in prayer five times a day.


• Socially, no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.


• Politically, no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America, the great Satan.


• Domestically, no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34).


• Religiously, no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam --intolerance (Quran, 2:256).


• Intellectually, no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles, and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.


• Philosophically, no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.


• Spiritually, no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as our heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in the Quran's 99 excellent names.

All compelling reasons to ask any muslim "What are you doing here?" It isn't profiling to suspect someone whose declared beliefs are at direct odds with the founding principles of American government. It's just good sense.

Headlines for Thursday 7/14/2005

Woman Walks Every Mile of City Streets
Ugly prostitue has to work harder to earn living

Gene Maps May Help Drug Hunt for Parasites
Helps lead crackheads straight to rocker Simmons door

Hundreds of sheep follow leader off cliff
A fitting end to Dean's Democratic conga line

Activists strip to thongs to oppose bull run
Plan backfires as thong wearing Rosie O'Donnell really excites horny bulls

Lost Sappho love poem published after 2,600 years
"The poetess of Lesbos full of joy
Tis no mystery who this lass likes
How she envys the little Dutch Boy
With a finger in the dikes"

Woman Arrested After Giving Birth Drunk
Mother insists "I was wasted when it was concieved, I wanted to be the same way when it was born!"

Man Allegedly Bites Off Officer's Finger
He wanted to try a new Wendy's Home Recipe

Big Bird Sculpture Ruffles Feathers
Sesame Street icon posed plucked for statue

Corpse Falls Into Traffic in Texas
Mystery of what Dan Rather is doing during retirement solved

Jogging in Park OK but No Sex Please
Mystery of what Bill Clinton is doing during retirement solved

Graham Won't Go to London, Citing Health
He wants to keep his

Ex-Haiti Police Chief Sentenced to Prison
And he seem like a real Port-au-Prince of a fellow

Teen Who Lost Leg to Shark Back at Home
He was warned that his lawyer charged an arm and a leg but he wouldn't listen. Lucky to get 1/2 off deal.

Man Reveals Reason for Shooting Postman
Seems he rang more than twice

And you can find more headliney goodnes at the usual suspects.

Are we winning the War on Terrorism?

The Homepsun Blogger Symposium question of the week asks;

This week saw terrorism raise it's ugly head in London killing more than 50 people, wounding over 700.
Based on this recent attack...do you feel that we're winning, losing, or holding our own in fighting the Global War on Terrorism?

I believe we are winning the war. It was important to take the war to the terrorists and those who support them. As a result we have established democracies in the Middle East which will help stabilized the region.

You may well ask "If we are winning then why did the London bombings happen?" They happened because the cowardly Islamofacists terrorists have only one weapon. There unwavering ability to target innocent men, women and children with senseless suicide attacks. This will not change. They have no armies, no navy, no uniformed militia. They do not engage the military of other nations. They instead hide and fester like a disease in pockets of filth throughout the Middle East. They wait until they see an opening and strike at our hearts; our wives and children as they do nothing more sinister than go about their daily lives. But even these attacks are being thwarted in greater number.

So we are winning the War on Terror by doing exactly what we are doing right now. And we should continue to do so. And if need be we should seek out other pockets of filth and clean them out, one fanatical dictatorial regime at a time.

Brits for a Day

Fiesty Republican Whore suggests we all decorate our blogs with the Union Jack. Today we are all brits.

Word. We're all Britons today. Today, my buddy-in-blog Jeff has asked any and all bloggers via an email to decorate their blogs with the British flag in honor of those killed and injured in today's cowardly terrorist attacks in London. Sounds like a smashing good idea to me.

Pro-Terror Watch Alert

The "Religion of Peace" continued its war on the innocent. The bomb blasts in London have killed 40 and the number of injured varies between 360 and 700. Islamofacists have claimed credit although initial reports cited ruptured gas mains as a cause. Blair has come out and denounced the cowards who have preyed on innocent commuters. The U.S. has raised it's security alert level to Orange for mass transit systems. So do you still believe Islam is a "Religion of Peace?".

I will be keeping an eye on the usual suspects in the left of the blogosphere. Surely even those dim bulbs can see that this was an unprovoked act of terrorism. Surely they can't possibly hate America so much that they can condone this barbarism. I wrote in a forum:

The time immediately after something like this is weirdly quiet. You know the left are all holed up somewhere like vermin waiting for the shock to subside. Even now they are carefully choosing their words so they can appear shocked and hurt.

Then all at once they will be chattering like insects blaming Bush, blaming the right, blaming everybody but the terrorists themselves. It will be disgusting and sadly there will be nothing to do but sit back and wait for the spectacle to begin.

I believe the left will fall all over themselves trying to explain this. Let the circus begin.

The Smithee Awards Report

Speaking of the Smithees (see my post "And the Award for Stupidest Looking Monster Goes to..."), despite the initial delay this year's 14th Annual Smithee Awards Show did go on and it was great! The overall winner and winner of the "Worst Film" award was the post apocalyptic "Roller Blade (1985)". Naked pointy hooded nuns on skates who worshipped a holy smiley face and communed in hot tubs took on evil skaters and their animated baby doll. No. Really. The Smithee synopsis reads:

The Holy Order of the Roller Blade is a group of roller-skating nuns whose holy symbol is a happy-face, in a post-apocalyptic world gone horribly, horribly wrong. Yet if this is so wrong, I don't want to be right.

The nuns are opposed by a group of mutants lead by the evil Doctor Saticoy. The crisis points come when Doctor Saticoy steals the nuns' sacred power crystal, and kidnaps the Sheriff's son.

In addition, a user comment at the IMDB reads:

Films like this really defy any sort of critical analysis because how 'bad' they are is directly related to how much enjoyment you get out of it. That said, this effort, whilst offering at least a few good laughs, is ultimately so lame that it wears very thin. You might find yourself sticking with it to the end with a sense of utter disbelief or you might only get past the first scene, but either way you'll be wondering just how little money it cost to make, and just how the hell they got a distribution deal in the first place. Cult status is assured (it's already had 3 sequels, which is unfathomable) - it's a futuristic sci-fi adventure with roller-skating nuns, child kidnap, power crystals, and naked nuns in jacuzzis. Trash doesn't get any worse or any weirder, and it's a thin line between talentless crap and auteur genius.

Is it the worse film I've ever seen? Yea, verily.

Some Japanese films made the show. Two in particular have to be seen to be believed. Gorath (1962), a rogue star threatens to collide with Earth so the scientists create a huge rocket engine which propels Earth out of harms way. Of course they don’t know how to get Earth back on track and they have caused unparalleled ecological damage. But the rogue star missed them and that’s what’s important. The Smithees say:

A rogue star, code-named Gorath, is cutting a swath of destruction through the solar system on a collision course with Earth. Not to fear, though. Japan has a bold plan to save the world. No, it's not what you're thinking. I have no idea what you're thinking, but I'm sure it's not this. 0:44:39 Science: They're accelerating at 14 gravities, but people are walking around normally. No, they don't have inertial dampeners; they just don't have any understanding of science.

And I am looking for ”Ororchi: The Eight-Headed Dragon (1994)”. It was essentially film version a video game complete with level bosses and power ups. Looks like a lot of fun. Smithee says:

Jenna describes this movie by saying that she thinks they wanted to make an anime, but couldn't afford to. In Imperial Japan, the younger twin son of the local lord is taken for a demon (being a younger twin) and exiled. Eventually, he is allowed back at court but must prove himself by being sent out to battle the lord's enemies. After many martial arts fights, this leads the hero and his companions to fight a real demon. But once the demon is destroyed, it reincarnates as a giant rubber monster, which Jenna and I refer to as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Godzilla".

The clips were funny to watch especially the "Oblivious" nomination where 100 swordsman appear out of nowhere to help capture the heroine.

Some notable award winners were "Best One-Liner" Leprechaun: Back 2 da Hood (2003), "Cutting Butter with a Chainsaw" Lady Terminator (1988), and "Worst Science" Death Machine (1995).

All in all it was a glorious campy night. This years crowd was bigger than last years AND they had us in a larger ballroom to boot!

Origins Recap

Well the best laid plans etc… I was all psyched to go to Origins and blog from the Game Expo everyday but life had other plans. I was so ill I slept most of the first day, rising only to eat. By Friday the worst was past but I was so tired that I couldn’t bring myself to compose the posts I wanted too. So now I am posting after the fact.

The show was a good one. I am still waiting to hear attendance figures. It seemed a little down this year and I will be interested in knowing if they broke the 15K mark. I noticed there were a lot more kids this year. I wish I could say that things went smoothly and like clockwork but the show was plagued with problems. On a personal note, events I had scheduled to run did not show up in the Pre-registration or the on-site registration books so no one could sign up for them. On Wednesday the computers crashed, I know these things happen but I stood in line with my fever for almost an hour. The computer status had nothing to do with my situation since all the materials I was there to pick up were already printed out and sorted. They simply did not allocate the manpower to handle the line. The Smithee Awards was delayed 40 minutes because the AV people did not supply a remote with the DVD player and couldn’t find one once the show started. If not for a fan and her laptop (Thanks Mary!) we may not have had a show. None of these are unforgivable problems UNLESS GAMA fails to learn from them and repeats them year after year.

Other than that the show was great. The Dealer’s room was packed and there was great new games and expansions released at the show. My traveling companions all had a great time and gave glowing reports of their experiences. It was a good time and we are looking forward to next year. (Some of us are also looking forward to GEN CON:Indy 2005 in August too...)

Headlines for Wednesday 7/6/2005

New Dolphin Species Found in Australia
Experts say it is lighter than other species and tastes like chicken

G-8 Leaders Expected to Pledge Africa Aid
Leaders unable to withstand intense pressure generated by worldwide concerts.

China Treats Addicted Video-Game Players
Reports remakable success of their "Labor Camp Retreat" program

Bush Drops a Few Clues About Candidate
Democrats pick up crayon, notebook and sit in their big chair to figure it out

WHO Reports More Polio Cases in Indonesia
Okay I give up. Who?

Russian Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet
Nostra-scam-us says "Can't get a clear picture since NASA's been up there mucking about"

Dinosaur Track Found in Alaskan Park
Authorities say millions bet on illeagal T-Rex racing

Telescopes Analyze Probe-Comet Collision
Probe cited for failure to yeild and sentenced to driver school and comet was driving while uninsured

Bush: Abortion Won't Decide Court Nominee
Bush will retain the right to abort current sitting members of the court

Stewart Says Prison Nickname 'M. Diddy'
Sean Combs welcomes her to the Diddy clan

And as always there is more headliney goodness to be had from The Capitalist. basil, moehawk and Moes'

USAF Take Out "Foresake The Troops"

USAF Take Out "Foresake The Troops". (Hat Tip BMEWS) Scumbag Micheal Crook's online disgrace forsakethetroops.info has been purchased by the USAF. Instead you find a notice and a link to the Sean Hannity interview where Crook exhibits his total lack of cognitive processess.

Forsakethetroops.net was also purchased and you are redirected to the site ATrue American.com owned by U.S. veterans who wanted to stop Crook's despicable attacks on our servicemen.

UPDATE: I should have more accurately said "The anti military site FORSAKETHETROOPS.info has been purchased by Q of 3C0X1.net & 3GuysHosting.com" While NOT the USAF it is "An online home for Air Force enlisted personnel

Origins Update Part Two

In my fevered delirium I looked out of the hotel window and saw these brightly colored creatures of flaming energy erupting before me. Then I realized that it was just the annual "Red White and Boom" celebration in our state capitol. They had mentioned it on the news. They also mentioned the Game Expo too. Origins brings in 15000 people and injects between 5 and 6 million dollars into the local businesses. And the show is geared towards families, which helps sell it. Columbus enjoys it's relationship with Origins and origins plans to be here at least through 2010.

Origins 2005 Update

Okay so you haven't heard from me in awhile. I arrived here in Columbus on Wednesday on schedule but I had an unexpected visitor along for the ride. Some sort of infection has had me feverish since Tuesday night. So I have spent the first two nights of my vacation sweating and shivering. My family wanted me to come back home immediately but I believe I will actually get more rest in a richly appointed hotel than in my poorly ventilated bedroom. That is also assuming I just don't drop over dead from whatever has my temp up. Funny thing is I have no other symptoms. Oh well I may be live blogging from Ohio State Medical Center at some point you never know.

But enough about me. I did get over to the dealers room and snap this pic. The lion "king" here is typical of some of the colorful characters you see at Origins. More pics tomoorow which is historically the largest attendance day. Right now I am all about fluids aspirin and rest. And my new Catan the Computer Game CD and watching UFO the series on DVD. I love vacation.