Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Quote AND Editorial of the day

"If only we could get the NSA to start spying on members of Congress. Tap their phones and read their email, no warrants necessary. We could call it a "Corruption Surveillance Program," and leak the details to the New York Times to make sure everyone in Congress is made aware they're being watched." - Tom Bevan


With an opening quote like that, you can imagine how good Tom Bevan's editorial today is.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Quote of the day

Sorry I have not been posting. I took a little blogging vacation, but I am back.

What better to come back with but a quote from the greatest president?

"We are a nation that has a government--not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed." - Ronald Reagan


Americans too often forget this.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

The Last Straw

From a story at CNN.com:
"House Speaker Dennis Hastert demanded Wednesday that the FBI surrender documents and other items agents seized on Capitol Hill in what lawmakers said was an unconstitutional raid.

"I think those materials ought to be returned," said Hastert, adding that the FBI agents involved "ought to be frozen out of that (case) for the sake of the Constitution."

The Saturday night search of Rep. William Jefferson's office on Capitol Hill brought Democrats and Republicans together in rare election-year accord, with both parties protesting agency conduct they said violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine.
"


So the crooks have circled the wagons?

Neal Boortz said it best:
"They claim that it's unconstitutional. Funny...nothing in the Constitution about searching a corrupt public official's office. It protects against unlawful search and seizure...but the feds had a warrant. Separation of powers? Eh..that's a stretch. A crime was committed...what were they supposed to do, look the other way? Right at the front of yesterday's whining was House Majority Leader John Boehner, who said that "the congress will clearly speak to this issue of the justice department's invasion of the legislative branch. In what form I don't know. I've got to believe at the end of the day it's going to end up across the street, at the Supreme Court. I don't see anything short of that." Aww...poor baby."


First, it was the politicians not wanting our immigration laws enforced. Now it seems they don't want ANY laws enforced on them.

Apparently, some of Mexico's corruption is coming over the border too.

It is time to vote BOTH parties out. Whether you are liberal or conservative, it makes no difference. Find ANY third party to vote for.

Villains Part II: The best movie villains of all time


The best movie villains of all time:

1. Frank, played by Henry Fonda (picture above), in "Once Upon a Time in the West":

Fonda is deliciously evil in this role. The amazing thing is that Fonda carries the part, making it believable without giving any real background to the character. His only clear motivation is self-interest.

In one scene, he kills a child just because one of his henchmen has called him by name, and Frank does not want the child to identify him. Frank just shoots the kid point blank, no remorse. In fact, Fonda gives the barest hint that Frank enjoys it.

The beauty of Fonda's performance is that it is NOT over the top. It is a subtle, snake-like evil that can sneak up on you if you are not careful. But when it bites, you know it painfully well.

Fonda's subtlety was undoubtedly influenced by Sergio Leone (the director), who liked to give his characters an aura of mystery. But none of the villains in Leone's other films epitomized villainy like Fonda, who could take an inch of rope and manage to get it around the audience's throat like a noose.

2. Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, in "The Shining":

Nicholson took a normal man and turned him into a villain, right before the audience's eyes. I would rank it as the single best acting performance by one actor ever.

3. Col. Nathan Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson, in "A Few Good Men":

The final courtroom scene with Tom Cruise ranks as the single best movie scene ever for me. The intensity of Cruise going up against Nicholson in that scene is overwhelming.

Nicholson's Jessup has a self-righteous martyrdom, which Nicholson plays with both control (early in the film) and wild abandon (at the end).

4. Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, in both "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal":

Hopkins was a great actor long before this role came to him, but he showed how important the acting is to the villainy. In the film "Manhunter", Brian Cox played Hannibal. Anyone remember him? I thought not.

5. Nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher, in "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest":

Fletcher is my favorite villainous actress of all time.

She has the "holier than thou" villainess down to an art form. For anyone who read the book, Fletcher IS Nurse Ratched. I don't think anyone else could have played the role. The evil Ratched thinks she knows what you need better than you do, and Fletcher plays it so convincingly.

(For a real villainous treat, check her out in the tv show "Deep Space Nine".)

6. Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, in "Wall Street":

"Greed...is good." And so was Douglas in this classic role.

7. Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T, in "Rocky III":

One of the great signs that an actor has played a villain well is that you cheer for their defeat in the end. I never enjoyed watching a villain lose more than Clubber Lang.

8. Alex Forrest, played by Glenn Close, in "Fatal Attraction":

Close gave new definition to the "femme fatale" with this role.

9 (tied). Matty Walker, played by Kathleen Turner, in "Body Heat" AND Catherine Tramell, played by Sharon Stone, in "Basic Instinct":

Even though Stone's Tramell was not THE killer, she was clearly a villainess in the mold of Turner's Walker. These are the kind of women who ooze sex from every pore in order to get what they want. Would you kill for them? Or be killed by them? Or both?

10. Count Orlok, played by Max Schrek, in "Nosferatu":

Most silent movies are horrid by today's standards, and "Nosferatu" has it's horrid moments. However, Schrek's performance as Orlok is so haunting as to make this my personal favorite of all vampire films. Considering that Orlok is only onscreen for 9 minutes, that is saying something.

Villains Part I: Quote(s) of the day



"I love playing villains." - Alfred Molina


I have always thought that, if I were an actor, I would want to play a bad guy.

When watching a movie or a tv show, we may root for the heroes, but it is the villain that gives the plot dilemna gravitas.

The more dangerous or scary the villain is, the greater the challenge for our hero, and the more satisfying the final victory truly is. In the case of tragedies, the final loss by the hero can be appreciated for the hero's effort to overcome what was a superior villain/challenge.

But there is another factor in playing a villain: It is the ultimate freedom. You get to throw off society's shackles and do whatever your little selfish heart desires.

In football terms, it is the difference between being a quarterback or a linebacker. Everyone loves the quarterback, but the linebacker has more fun. I once asked Bill Bergey (former all-pro linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles) if he thought blindsiding a quarterback was better than sex, and he said yes. (I always suspected it was)

A quarterback has to take the hits like a hero, but still manage to come back and win the game. The linebacker gets to dish out all the hits in order to keep the quarterback from winning. In football, there is the final score to determine victory. In movies and tv, the victory is only determined by the accomplishment of whatever goals the plot determines.

The heroes are stuck with all the responsibilities, while the villains get to have all the fun. To paraphrase Donald Sutherland's question in "Animal House":
"[Is] being bad was more fun than being good?"


The answer is yes.

(Hat tip to Yahoo.com for the picture)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Quote of the day

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield


Nothing profound here. I just thought it was funny.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Quote of the day

What is acting but lying and what is good lying but convincing lying?” - Sir Laurence Olivier

Friday, May 19, 2006

Screw you Mexico!

I was reading this news article over at CNN.com titled "Mexico, other nations condemn U.S. fence". My blood got to boiling.

"Mexico and four Central American nations condemned the U.S plan to build hundreds of miles of triple-layered fencing on its southern border, saying it would not stop illegal immigration.

In a joint news conference in Mexico City late Thursday, the foreign ministers of Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Mexico said that building barriers was not the way to solve problems between neighboring nations.

"The position of Mexico and the other countries is that walls will not make a difference in terms of the solution to the migration problem," said Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez.
"


If it won't work, why say anything at all? The fact is they know it just might work, and they are scared. Scared that they may be stuck with having to perform economic reforms so their people can work AND make a living. Scared that their corrupt governments may have to clean up their acts.

""All of us are looking for a comprehensive migratory regulation so that millions of Latin Americans can continue working in and supporting the United States economy," Briz said."


...and sending billions of dollars back into their floundering economies.

""Building walls, constructing barriers on the border does not offer an efficient solution in a relationship of friends, neighbors and partners," Fox said in the border city of Tijuana."


How about invaders and criminals?

"[Fox continued], "We will go on defending the rights of our countrymen without rest or respite. With passion we will demand the full respect of their human rights.""


Who is denying their human rights? The only denial of human rights occurs WITHIN the banana republics south of the U.S. border.

How is returning illegal immigrants to their home country a denial of human rights? Unless their home country denies their human rights.

Is that an admission of Mexico's guilt, Vicente Fox?

Quote of the day



Anyone else miss "The Far Side"? I know I do. Gary Larson was the epitome of the phrase "creative genius".

"Newspapers will run a headline: 'Shark kills human.' You never see a headline from the other perspective: 'Man swims in shark-infested water, forgets he's shark food.'" - Gary Larson


(Hat tip to thinkexist.com)

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Quote(s) of the day

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.” - Malcolm X


"Give us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything." - Peter Marshall (preacher, 1902-1949)


"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." - Alexander Hamilton


It must be true then.

Seriously, this is where most politicians part ways with me. Their guiding principle seems to be whatever it takes to get themselves re-elected. They only do the right thing when the public starts clamoring for it.

How does this happen? Look towards the American voters:
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." - H. L. Mencken


Replace "taste" with "intelligence", and there is your answer. Politicians have been underestimating the American voters for many decades, with only a few rare instances of the voters calling them on the carpet (Ross Perot comes to mind).

The time is approaching when the American voters need to call the politicians on the carpet again. Our politicians are acting with ambivalence towards us, when they are not completely corrupt. It is time for the sheep to turn on the wolves.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Quote of the day

I had Marx yesterday, so it is only appropriate:
"The more I see the less I know for sure." - John Lennon


Were you expecting Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin?

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Ragged Thoughts

Robert A. George rocks!

He drops by my blog to say thank you (link here).

Now he has even given my blog a little blogger love over on his blog.

Maybe this is only interesting to me, but I still think it's cool!

Quote of the day

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know." - Groucho Marx


Groucho Marx has always been one of my favorite comedians. His sense of silliness and comic timing are impeccable. I can still watch any of the Marx Brothers movies and laugh my butt off (although I do fast forward through the musical sequences, which were horrendous).

Monday, May 15, 2006

Quote of the day

"You can't base your life on other people's expectations." - Stevie Wonder


If you know the right thing to do, then do it. While there is nothing wrong with asking permission, or seeking a consensus, but if you don't get it, then do the right thing anyway. Even if you are judged harshly, at least you will be judged with a clear conscience.

Editorial of the day

Robert Novak's editorial, "Corporate Pork-Busting", is a must-read.

For those of you not familiar with the Northrup Grumman, here is Novak's description:
"An earmark in the bill's Senate version would give $500 million to Northrop Grumman to reimburse cost overruns on U.S. Navy shipbuilding contracts caused by Katrina damage at the Mississippi Gulf Coast shipyards in Pascagoula and Gulfport.

...The company, whose revenue last year totaled $40.7 billion, has received $500 million from its insurer and is in litigation seeking another $500 million. The Defense Contract Management Agency has declared "it would be inappropriate to allow Northrop Grumman to bill for costs potentially recoverable by insurance because payment by the government may otherwise relieve the carrier from their policy obligation." Factory Mutual Insurance Co., with 2004 revenue of $2.7 billion, then would be receiving indirect corporate welfare.
"


Fortunately, Senator Tom Coburn caught this piece of pork in the bill which would have provided "emergency funds for the war against terror and for Hurricane Katrina relief." Coburn added an amendment which:
"...barely lost, 51 to 48, in a rare Senate vote crossing party lines. Republicans split 28 to 27 against Mississippi's powerful senators, with John McCain and Majority Leader Bill Frist supporting Coburn. Democrats voted 24 to 20 for Northrop Grumman. North Dakota's twin deficit hawks, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan, voted with Coburn, but Edward M. Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Democratic Leader Harry Reid supported corporate welfare."


Amazing how the split votes looked very similar for both parties, isn't it? When it comes to pork, there is NO DIFFERENCE between the two parties. They are both slime.

It is also interesting to note how Kennedy, Clinton, and Reid all supported corporate welfare. Or is it they are in favor of ANY kind of welfare? Not that Democrats would ever worry about spending someone else's money. Or Republicans for that matter.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Another silly blog thing: Pirates edition

I found a silly thing to add to my blog: "What's My Pirate Name?". You fill out a questionaire, and it gives you a pirate name. Here's mine:



My pirate name is:


Black Tom Bonney



Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

My theory on illegal immigration

I originally posted this theory over at Townhall.com:

Contrary to what EITHER of our behemoth political parties want to do, we need to get the illegal immigrants out of here. Period.

If the politicians want to make it easier for 100 million Mexicans to come into this country legally, that's fine. But if they are here illegally, I am tired of hearing the excuse "but we can't round up 12 million of them". I don't care if you round them up, or make it impossible for them to make a living here. Do NOT give them amnesty.

In case you hadn't noticed, I have changed my views somewhat on this subject. The foot dragging of the political class in this country taught me something. They WANT this to happen. I suspect they set up the circumstances to ALLOW it to happen.

My theory is they want to bring in millions of young workers to help us get through the retirement of the Baby Boomers so the politicians won't have to do anything about the impending Social Security/Medicare collapses.

Instead of fixing the problems we have, our politicians are making different problems (such as crime). Welcome to three card monte, Washington style.

Quote of the day

"Be careful in revising those immigration laws of yours. We got careless with ours." - advice given to Hubert Humphrey by an American Indian from New Mexico


I wonder if the Mexicans will round us all up into reservations?

You may laugh now, but I'm sure the Indians didn't consider the possibility when the Pilgrims arrived either.

(Hat tip to quotationspage.com)

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Quote of the day

"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing." - Salvador Dali


The genius in this statement is that even the greatest of ideas are NOT completely original. They are merely a mental reworking of what we already know.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Editorial of the day

CNN's Lou Dobbs is not one of my favorite broadcasters. However, I share his hatred of the current illegal immigration situation. His editorial, "Do you take us for fools?", exemplifies my own anger with the current crop of failures running our government.

Dobbs states my own frustration nicely:
"Only a fool, Mr. President, Sen. Kennedy, Sen. McCain, would believe you when you speak of new legislation. You don't enforce the laws now."


As Dobbs sums up:
"...318 employers out of five and a half million in this country have been fined for hiring illegal aliens since 2001. In 2004, only three employers were fined. That is a dismal record, Mr. President, as dismal as the fact that the number of ICE agents assigned to enforce immigration laws in the workplace has declined from only 240 back in 1999 to now less than 100.

The problem in our lack of border security and illegal immigration is becoming increasingly obvious: two political parties that are beholden to corporate America, the largest employers of illegal aliens, and the leadership of both parties that are selling out American citizens in search of cheap labor and political advantage. How dumb do you all think we are? Again, that's only a rhetorical question.

Over the next few days on my broadcast, I'm going to make a suggestion that I hope may help the leadership of both the Republican and Democratic parties begin to take some notice of our laws and our expectations that those laws be enforced. And also take at least some notice of the fact that Republicans and Democrats also represent American citizens, not just corporate America and special interests.
"


If I had to guess, I would say Dobbs is going to recommend voting for third parties. That would be my advice. Regardless of any election outcome, if a large enough percentage of voters vote for third parties, that would get the Democrats and Republicans to sit up and take notice.

Quote of the day

"I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress." - Ronald Reagan


There would still be only ten Commandments, but there would be earmarks for funding some bridges, libraries, and museums.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Quote of the day

"Nature does nothing uselessly." - Aristotle


One of the reasons I believe in God.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Quote of the day

Politics: “Poli” a Latin word meaning “many”; and "tics" meaning “bloodsucking creatures”.” - Robin Williams

Friday, May 05, 2006

My favorite bloggers

The following is my must-read list of bloggers:

1. Robert A. George (RAGGED THOTS): Clever and cordial, Robert pays attention to his blog, and the people who visit. I have never met him, but I suspect he would be a great guy to converse with over a beer.

2. Mary Katherine Ham (Hugh Hewitt's website): I originally became familiar with her work over at Townhall.com. When she left there to go to work at Salem Communications, she started posting on Hugh Hewitt's website. She is the epitome of "positive thinking" (or as she might say, a "glass half-full gal"). If you are looking for a blogger pick-me-up, she is recommended reading. Even when she complains about something, you can still sense a positive spin on it.

3. Jay Tea (Wizbang): While he is cynical, Jay is also clever and funny. He usually gets me thinking, whether he is discussing national politics, or roasting Massachusetts politicos.

Quote of the day

The perfect Friday quote:
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin

Editorial of the day

I have decided to discontinue the "Editorial of the day" as a regular feature. I will bring it back when I find something worth reading, but for now I just don't see enough good editorials to have it every day.

In honor of this, I do have a good one from my favorite senator, Tom Coburn (this was delivered on the floor of the Senate yesterday):

Mr. President, in the past week, the Senate has voted to reduce the overall cost of H.R. 4939, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006, now totaling nearly $110 billion by a mere $15 million. I'm delighted that President Bush has pledged to veto this bill because Congress has, once again, been unable to resist the temptation to load up a must-pass bill with pork.

Mr. President, I offered several amendments to eliminate non-emergency items in this bill. I appreciate the patience of my colleagues. I'm very pleased and encouraged that this body is increasingly willing to depart from our business-as-usual practices.

That's good, because the American people are paying attention to this process. In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, the American people said that ending earmarks should be the number one priority for Congress this session. Thirty-nine percent said that members should be prohibited from "directing federal funds to specific projects benefiting only certain constituents." It's interesting to note that ending earmarks was ranked ahead of immigration reform, which was cited as the number one priority by 32 percent of Americans.

I hope that these results, combined with polls showing a 22 percent approval rating for Congress, will encourage conferees to avoid a confrontation with President Bush over spending. I would hope that when conferees look for items to remove from this bill they take a close look at my amendments that lost by a narrow margin as well as those I withdrew.

Mr. President, I believe that in this time of war and disaster recovery the American people expect us to make hard choices about spending. Taxpayers want us to be serving in a spirit of service and sacrifice, not searching for new ways to raid the public treasury.

Congress is raiding the treasury in two ways with this bill. First, many of the items in this bill should be considered in the regular appropriations process and through the regular order. The War on Terror is no longer a surprise. We're entering our fifth year of this war. It shouldn't come as a surprise to Congress that we have needs related to this effort. We've also developed a good understanding about many of the priorities in the Gulf Coast that could have been addressed in the regular budget process.

Congress has also added billions of dollars for items that have no connection to the War on Terror and the Gulf Coast recovery. Again, few of these items are true emergencies. The American people deserve to understand what defines a true emergency. According to the budget resolution for fiscal year 2006 all of the following five criteria must be met to be considered an emergency:

o Necessary, essential, or vital;
o Sudden, quickly coming into being, and not building up over time;
o An urgent, pressing, and compelling need requiring immediate action;
o Unforeseen, unpredictable, and unanticipated; and
o Not permanent, temporary in nature.

Designating a project as an "emergency" excuses Congress from paying for a project. The result of abusing the "emergency" designation is an even greater emergency. Our nation's debt is nearly $8.4 trillion. Each American's share of this debt is $27,964.86. Our national debt is increasing by an average of $1.95 billion per day. Social Security, Medicare and the standard of living of future generations of Americans are in jeopardy as a result of decades of fiscal irresponsibility and rationalizations for spending more money today without considering the consequences tomorrow.

The Social Security trustees' reported this week the program will exhaust its trust fund and begin running annual cash deficits in 2040. A year ago, that prediction was 2041 effectively meaning two years have been lost by a refusal to act. The trustees reported Social Security's unfunded liability is $13.4 trillion.

Of course, the real problem with Social Security and Medicare is much worse because the federal government uses an Enron-style accounting scheme. We habitually borrow or, more accurately, steal money from these trust funds to pay for more spending today.

When the 77 million Baby Boomers begin to retire in 2011, our nation will be faced with the greatest economic challenge in our history. If we continue to indulge in earmarks, the gateway drug to spending addictions, we will never address these complex challenges, particularly if we can't resist the urge to abuse the earmark process on a bill designed to address the emergency needs of our troops and displaced people in the Gulf Coast.

Another reason we must act today to rein in wasteful spending is because our ability to influence world events is diminished by our debt to other nations. We now have the distinction of being the world's largest debtor nation, and this bill will add to that debt. Many serious economists are warning that our excessive borrowing from foreign sources could cause the value of the dollar to collapse, which would lead to a disaster for our economy. It is incredibly short-sighted for this body to sell treasury bills to countries like China so we can finance economic development programs and other pet projects while, at the same time, we hope to encourage China to be more aggressive in terms of discouraging Iran from developing nuclear weapons. This is not just a numbers game. The future vitality of our nation is at stake. We are slowly but surely whittling away our national power and ability to leverage other nations away by our refusal to make hard choices about spending.

Many of the items in this bill are obviously not emergencies, which is why this bill will be vetoed by President Bush if it is sent to him in its current form. Again, I hope conferees do not force the President to take this step. I'm confident the President will veto this bill. He understands that it is more important to secure the next generation rather than the next election.

Past presidents and Congresses have made hard choices during difficult times. Between 1939 and 1942, Congress and FDR cut spending for nondefense programs by 22 percent. In 1950, President Truman and Congress cut nonmilitary spending by 28 percent. I would suggest to my colleagues that if we want to be here past 2006 we better do the same.

Still, I agree with my colleagues who say that the President's priorities don't come down from heaven. I would suggest, however, that we are all subject to the judgment that comes down from the taxpayers. If we flippantly disregard the President's insistence that we make hard choices, the judgment of the taxpayers will not be kind to any of us.

Families across this country are faced with hard choices every day in order to live within their budget. They have elected us to make hard choices. Our refusal to do this only reinforces the perception that we are disconnected from the priority-setting reality that governs the rest of the country.

It is wrong, for example, for this body to fund pork projects like grape research in the state of California then force the taxpayers in my state and every other state to pay for a so-called 'emergency' project that has been ongoing for the last 46 years and has already received more than $130 million from the American taxpayer. Where this body sees an emergency the taxpayers often see a series of misplaced priorities.

The state of California received 549 federal earmarks this year totaling $733 million. That included $10 million in federal resources alone for museums. Is it more important to protect the residents at risk from flooding by the Sacramento River or to fund grape research? Congress is spending over $3.6 million on a grape research center in California this year. We are spending another $1 million on a pedestrian walkway project in Calimesa and a half a million on pedestrian/bike improvements on Tower Bridge in Sacramento? What is more important for Sacramento? Why can't we prioritize today so future generations are not forced to make even tougher choices between massive tax hikes, drastic cuts to Medicare and Social Security or the defense of our nation?

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Cowardice asks the question - is it safe? Expediency asks the question - is it popular? Vanity asks the question - is it popular? But conscience asks the question - is it right?"

I plead with my colleagues. Do what is right. Our nation is on an unsustainable course and that course correction must begin today, not when it is too late.

I yield the floor.


(Hat tip to Real Clear Politics)

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Quote of the day

I decided to replace the quote under the title of this blog. Without further ado, welcome our new subtitle quote:
"Football combines two of the worst things in American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings." - George Will


Personally, I would like to see a little more violence in Congressional committee meetings. That would mean somebody in Washington is getting fed up with the b.s.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Quote of the day

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Winston Churchill


Sounds a lot like how Europe handles things, doesn't it?

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Quote of the day

"All the time a person is a child he is both a child and learning to be a parent. After he becomes a parent he becomes predominantly a parent reliving childhood." - Dr. Benjamin Spock


In other words, we all grow up to become our parents. We may tweak here and there, but our basic parenting style was learned from our parents.

Monday, May 01, 2006

United 93: My review

I went to see "United 93" over the weekend. This is an intense, powerful film.

All of us have our memories of 9/11. "United 93" is a telescope into what happened that day.

To those who would say, "It's too soon for this movie", I say this movie needed to be made, and it needs to be watched. At what point does it become ok? 10 years from now? 20 years from now? If not now, when?

I cannot tell you why "United 93" needs to be watched, except to say that my 9/11 demons have been eased somewhat. I can look into the Devil's eyes, knowing he can be beaten. At the very least, I know I can keep him from getting what he wants.

NFL Draft predictions

I did ok. I picked 6 players with the right team in the right spot, which was better than Mel Kiper's 5.

My correct predictions:
1. Texans: DE Mario Williams.

2. Saints: RB Reggie Bush.

4. Jets: OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

5. Packers: LB A.J. Hawk.

6. 49ers: TE Vernon Davis.

31. Seahawks: CB Kelly Jennings.


Time to give myself an award for an astute observation, even if I got the teams all wrong (and one of the players involved was wrong too):
8. Bills: QB Jay Cutler. Marv Levy would like another Jim Kelly, but he'll settle for Jay Cutler. Bills may also trade down to let someone else draft Cutler. Don't be surprised if another team gets nervous after the Raiders take Young and offers the Bills too much for the pick.


Change the pick to #11. Make it the Rams trading down instead of the Bills. Make it the Broncos getting nervous after the Cardinals (instead of the Raiders) took Matt Leinart (instead of Vince Young).

Just call me Nostradomus. Sort of.

Quote of the day

Riches don't make a man rich, they only make him busier.” - Christopher Columbus

No editorial of the day this week

Sorry folks, but I am spending some time this week overanalyzing the NFL draft. There is nothing happening in politics that cannot wait until next week.

I heard the illegal immigrants are taking the day off today. I figure they are overdue, since they have been here for many years now. Maybe we could offer them free vacations in Mexico?