It's A 'Civil' War, So Be Polite When Arguing

At least one dictionary site defines a civil war as "A war between factions or regions of the same country."

So is Iraq in a state of "civil war?" The debate has certainly been heating up, and was further fueled Monday when NBC News announced that from now on that is exactly how it will define the conflict in Iraq. Not surprisingly, President Bush was quick to respond, saying that Iraq is NOT in a state of civil war.

Somehow Bush's response isn't all that surprising. After all, the man can barely put together a coherent sentence in English, so how could he possibly be expected to know the definition of a complicated term like "civil war?" Besides, this is the same man who also believes that evolution is still open to debate. Obviously Bush is not a man who will allow mere facts interfere with what he already believes.

And what about the Iraqi government? Well, they're essentially powerless. Anytime any of them wander outside the heavily fortified Green Zone they become targets.

As exhibited by events last week, the war in Iraq has primarily become a battle between the Sunnis and the Shiites. It was just a week ago that a series of bomb blasts ripped through a Shiite slum and killed over 200 people. It was the Mahdi Army--the principle Shiite militia--that stepped up and began aiding the victims.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military itself now concedes that Anbar province in western Iraq is lost, and that a military victory over the insurgency is no longer possible. In fact, according to this report, the reason Al-Qaida has become so entrenched in the region is because the Sunnis in Anbar feel that the central government in Baghdad has fallen under the control of the Shiites and Iran. Consequently the people feel it's necessary to turn to Al-Qaida for protection.

I know, I know.... Once again I'm ignoring the good news coming out of Iraq. Which raises an interesting question: WHAT good news? The country is in total chaos. One city, Baquoba, had to be completely shut down because the fighting in the streets had become so fierce. The central government is virtually non-existent, and control of the nation has been ceded to two groups that are out to kill one another.

Iraq has a population of 25 million people, and an average of 100 a day are being killed. Compare that to the United States and its population of 300 million. That's 12 times as many people as Iraq. An equivalent daily loss of life here would be 1200. That means that every three days, Iraq is experiencing a greater loss of life than America did on 9-11.

If there's some bit of good news hiding in those figures, I'd like to hear it.

At Least There Were No Fisticuffs

Gotta hand it to Virginia's incoming Democrat senator, Jim Webb. He was recently at the White House with other newly elected officials and he refused to shake the President's hand. Afterwards Bush sought him out and the two ended up having a rather testy exchange over the war in Iraq.

So Much For The Sanctity Of Marriage

Last summer Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson got married. They were so much in love, in fact, that they had to hold multiple wedding ceremonies. Over the course of several days they got married in California, France, and Nashville.

I have to admit I was somewhat cynical about their long term prospects. So cynical, in fact, that I posted a poll on how long their marriage would last. 49 people voted, and the most popular pick was "six months or less" (Ten votes, or 20%).

Well, you'll be glad to know that the majority won! Yes, it's true: A mere four months into their blissful marriage, the happy couple has announced that they have separated.

No word on whether they are planning multiple divorces.

WILMA!

A new study based on the teachings of satanic blasphemers (also known as "scientists") suggests that cosmic rays caused by the birth of far away stars billions of years ago had a hand in the creation of life here on Earth. The theory is based on the careful study of carbon deposits in ocean sediments.

This is an obvious backdoor attempt to teach that evil theory of evolution, first proposed by Charles Darwin, a known spawn of Satan himself. Just because evolution is also supported by paleaontology, geology, continental drift, previous known climatic changes, uncovered evidence of asteroid impacts, the fossil record, and recent studies of mitochondrial DNA doesn't necessarily mean there's any merit to the idea. It could all just be a wild coincidence! Most importantly, no where in the Book of Genesis does it say anything about Adam and Eve being monkeys!

Besides, there's a museum in Kentucky that says the Earth is only 6,000 years old. This museum also proves that man roamed the Earth at the same time as dinosaurs, as demonstrated in the highly educational documentary series "The Flintstones."

Ho! Ho! Oops!

Here's a short video to help get you into the holiday spirit:

Tit For Tat

About a month ago Vice President Dick Cheney said that the recent increase in violence in Iraq was occurring because the insurgents knew we had elections coming up, and were trying to influence American voters into voting for Democrats. This is a truly insightful theory, especially coming from the same man who A) In 2003 said American troops would be greeted as liberators and B) last year said the insurgency was in its last throes.

Obviously the Vice President has established his credibility, which is what makes last Thursday's events in Iraq so odd. In case you missed it, a series of car bombings in a Shiite slum killed 215 civilians. Sunnis were blamed for the attacks. Not to be made fools of, Shiites responded the next day by seizing six Sunni muslims leaving prayer services, dousing them in kerosene, and setting them on fire.

Guess someone needs to tell those stupid Iraqis that our elections are over.

Special Toys For 'Special' Kids

The Christmas shopping season is now officially upon us. If there are any children on your list--children that, while loved, are, well, maybe just a bit slower than other kids--it can often be a challenge to buy for them. After all, you wouldn't want to buy them a Playstation III if the sudden surge of intellectual stimulation might overload their brain circuitry.

So as a public service, I am providing this link to a site selling toys for "just average" kids.



P.S.
Thanks to Dan for the link.

At Least Colonel Klink Never Built Naked Human Pyramids

There is a move afoot in Germany to possibly charge Donald Rumsfeld and other American officials with war crimes for their roles in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The probe is still in its preliminary stages and by no means a certainty.

Still, when Germany starts accusing you of war crimes, you know you're in some serious shit.

Hey Kids! Let's Kill Flipper!

Concerned scientists and others have launched a campaign to halt Japan's annual "dolphin drive," during which the marine mammals are herded into coves and slaughtered with clubs and knives. The Japanese, of course, argue that this is a proud tradition. An attache at the Japanese embassy in DC went as far as to defend the practice by saying, "It is kind of our cultural activity.... We think it is important."

Yeah, right. Kind of like invading China and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Chinese women and children just for the pure fun of it.

The scientists argue, however, that an increasing body of evidence suggests that not only are dolphins highly intelligent, but that they are highly self-aware. Recent research even shows that dolphins can recognize themselves in a mirror, something which has only been exhibited by chimpanzees and intelligent humans, as opposed to the one currently living in the White House.

Indeed, I'll take that argument step further and say that dolphins are even smarter than man. For example, I've been looking on Google and have been unable to find a single documented case in which dolphins responded to a shark attack by invading, say, a school of tuna.

Shishkabob

Last week News Corporation--which owns Fox News, among other things--announced that Fox would air a special interview with O.J. Simpson plugging his book If I Did It. In it, O.J. doesn't actually admit to killing Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, but it does describe HOW he would have done it IF he had. Pretty tasteless, eh? Oh, and the best part is that News Corp. also owns the book publisher putting out this literary gem. In other words, everyone would have be a winner!! Well, except for the two dead people and their families....

However, in a stunning attack of good taste and human decency, Rupert Murdoch today announced that his network has cancelled the broadcast.

Damn.... And I was hoping for an update on O.J.'s search for the real killers.

Guess I'll Be At The Airport Tomorrow

Last month a woman was removed from an airplane for breastfeeding her baby. As a result, many women are planning a national "nurse-in" at airports tomorrow to protest the mother's treatment. It's not clear what all the fuss is about since the plane was still on the ground when she was asked to leave.

More importantly, in this day of airline service cutbacks and cost saving measures, no one gets fed on planes any more. Why should this kid be treated any different? Now if the mother had been willing to share....

I'm Going To Hell

The Vatican has reaffirmed its rule of celibacy for priests. The move was prompted in response to a renegade archbishop who has been ordaining married men into the priesthood.

Too bad they don't apply the same celibacy rule towards little boys as well.

What? Was The Texas Air National Guard Full?

President Bush is finally in Vietnam.

Not to be picky, but an entire generation of Americans beat him there.

Your Cave Or Mine?

Scientists studying ancient DNA samples have concluded that there was no interbreeding between modern man and Neanderthals.

Well, then how do they explain George Bush?

My Morning Adventure

I left home a little after 9 this morning to do some errands. As I was driving down Rte 29 a few miles outside of Warrenton I glanced in my side mirror and saw a car in the left lane drift onto the median strip. The driver recovered but continued to weave a bit. People like that tend to make me nervous, so I slowed up to let the car pass me. As it went by me, I could see that the driver was a middle aged woman.

About a minute later she drifted into the right lane, forcing a white Dish Network van onto the shoulder. The rest of the way to Gainesville (another ten miles or so) it was the lady, the van and myself. Although the van blocked my view most of the time, I was still able to see the car drifting between the lanes, even ending up on the shoulders a few times. Though it was still early in the day, it was pretty obvious this lady was drunk.

We all stopped at a red light in Gainesville. When the signal turned green, everyone started moving. Well, almost everyone. The woman just kept sitting there as traffic was flying by in the other lane. Meanwhile I was nervously watching the mirror as trucks kept popping over the hill behind me. After about a minute of this, she finally started moving, as did the van and myself. I was tempted to change lanes so I could get the license plate and call the cops. But more importantly, I also didn't want to end up beside her and risk getting hit, so I maintained my position. Besides, I was thinking that Dish Network guy had already called the police himself.

Now we were approaching the McDonald's where I usually get breakfast and I was faced with an important choice: Do I keep following this crazy drunk chick, or do I stop for my usual sausage egg & cheese biscuit?

I decided to hold off on breakfast for a while.... And anyone who knows me will tell you it takes a lot to make me do something so drastic.

A few minutes later we passed under interstate 66, and at the next intersection the van driver decided to give up the chase and make a u-turn. Now the lady was directly in front of me, so I called Prince William County police with the tag number and the description (dark green Pontiac Grand Am). She continued her erratic driving, weaving and occasionally drifting off the road onto the grassy shoulder.

Then things got interesting. Rte 29 becomes two lanes as it passes through the Manassas Battlefield Park, thereby reducing this woman's margin of error. And sure enough, she occasionally wandered halfway across the double yellow lines. It was only by the grace of God that there was never any immediate oncoming traffic when she did so.

As we neared the Fairfax County line I called their police. Again, I gave the dispatcher the description of the car and how it had been driving for the last 15 miles. While I was on the phone, she actually drove off the road entirely (all four wheels) onto a grassy embankment. Yet she still managed to maintain control and get back on the road. Then I saw a dump truck just up ahead, and the lady barely avoided plowing into the back of it.

By now we were back on a four lane section of 29. As we approached I-66 (29 and 66 crisscross each other five times in northern Virginia) she got in the left turn lane and appeared ready to get on the east bound interstate. This time I hit #77 and got the state police on the line. But when we got the green arrow, drunk chick instead made a u-turn and started heading back the direction we had just come from. And having already sacrificed my breakfast, and with nothing else to lose, I stayed with her. As I made the turn, I saw a beat up looking pickup truck belonging to some tree service also make the turn behind me.

The woman did briefly stop at the next light. As the pickup pulled along side me, I could see two guys in it, one of whom was also on the phone. But then the Grand Am lady apparently decided she didn't want to wait any more and she went through the light. Fortunately there was no cross traffic, and she again avoided hitting anything or anyone.

When the light turned green I let the pickup get ahead of me, and by now I was back on the phone with Prince William County since we were headed in that direction.

Soon we were back on the two lane section of 29, and now things really got scary. Going up a hill the woman drifted entirely into the other lane just as a car topped the hill. That car went for the shoulder, and the Grand Am drifted back into the correct lane.

As our little caravan approached the intersection with route 234, the light was red. As the woman stopped the tree service guys cut into the left turn lane to get around her, then cut back in and stopped at an angle. I pulled right up onto her bumper. I was still on the phone with the cops at this point and began yelling, "We got her boxed in! We got her boxed in!"

Yeah, I felt like a moron. Thanks for asking.

So I got out my car and the tree service guys got out of their truck. Surprisingly the woman had rolled her window down and handed the keys over when the pickup's driver demanded them. I passed this information onto the police along with our exact location and finally ended the call.

After about five minutes an officer showed up, quickly followed by a second. They questioned her, administered the ol' breathalyzer test, and guess what?

She wasn't intoxicated!!!

They did determine, however, that the driver was completely disoriented. She didn't know where she was or even how she had gotten there. The woman claimed to have no recollection of even driving the car, and just kept asking where she was. The police were eventually to find out from her that she's hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and that she takes medicine for it. She had apparently been on her to the drug store to pickup a prescription refill. The woman lived in a little town called Bealeton, which is ten miles on the other side of Warrenton from where I first encountered her, or some 30 miles from where she finally ended up.

The police told us that since she wasn't intoxicated, it would treated as a "medical emergency" rather than a crime. At the same time, however, they weren't going to let her go either, since she was obviously in no shape to be behind the wheel.

The tree service guys (never did get either of their names) and I left just as the rescue squad and a firetruck were pulling up. Presumably she ended up being taken to the hospital, but I don't know for sure.

Oh, and for those of you who might be wondering: I finally did get a chance to eat breakfast.

Pass The Kleenex

Many fine Republicans have lost their jobs recently. Bill Maher has prepared a moving tribute to them called "A Farewell to Douchebags." And I can't even begin to tell you how happy I was to see that George Allen made the list.

Let's Hope The Levees Hold

Astronomers, scientists, and other smart people equipped with fancy college degrees and pocket protectors are puzzled by a massive hurricane-like storm that has formed in the polar regions of Saturn. The phenomenon was first photographed by the Cassini spacecraft, the probe which has been orbiting our ringed neighbor for several years now.

The mysterious weather system measures 5,000 miles across, has a well defined eyewall, and is packing winds of 350 mph.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration has decided to ignore the threat the storm poses to Saturnians.

Apology

I apologize for everything bad I've ever said about Donald Rumsfeld. He wasn't a total idiot afterall.

Allen Throws In His Macaca Stained Towel

Virginia Senator George Allen conceded defeat earlier today, thereby sparing the state--and the nation--a time consuming recount. That means the Democrats will control 51 seats in the Senate and the Republicans 49. Had Allen not conceded, the Senate's makeup would have remained in doubt. And if there had been a 50/50 split, that means it would have been up to Vice President Cheney to break any ties.

A look at the county by county vote totals shows that Allen actually won most of Virginia. It was Webb's huge margins in populous Northern Virginia (over 70% in Alexandria, Arlington, and Falls Church; almost 60% in Fairfax county, Fairfax city, and Fredericksburg) that gave him his 7484 vote win over Allen.

Bottom line: Even if people in most of the state don't mind it, those of us in Northern Virginia decided it was embarrassing to have an ignorant racist bonehead like George Allen representing us.

For too long the northern counties of this state have been ignored by the politicians in Richmond. They are happy to take the tax revenue we supply and distribute it to the rural backwater regions of Virginia. That might not be so bad, except that those of us here in the DC suburbs have to endure some of the nation's worst traffic gridlock because we can't get roads built. But with northern Virginia finally in a position to flex its political muscle, that may change.

And Northern Virginia's changing demographics aren't confined to the candidates we vote for.

Virginia also voted on an controversial amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. The proposed amendment passed with 58% of the vote. But again, in liberal Northern Virginia, the amendment was voted down. Unfortunately in this case the margins weren't enough to alter the statewide results.

Incidentally, Virginia produced many of the founding fathers of the United States. People like Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, James Madison, George Washington, and Patrick Henry were all Virginians who put their lives on the line in the pursuit of liberty. And Mason's Virginia Bill of Rights was the model for the national Bill of Rights, which comprise the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution. So you have to wonder how they would feel about their home state voting to restrict rights.

I agree that marriage is a sacred institution and should be protected. But what's the bigger threat? Two guys kissing over a slice of wedding cake, or people like Britney Spears and Kevin Federline who repeatedly make a mockery of their vows?

At Least He Didn't Try To Marry The Guy

If your soul is feeling a little lost this morning and in need of a spiritual pick-me-up, here's an inspirational hymn (link sent in by BJ). It's based on the experiences of Ted Haggard, the widely respected evangelist religious leader from Colorado who recently decided to expand his ministry through the miracle of methamphetamine fueled gay sex with a male prostitute.

Not that there's anything wrong with that....

Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out, Rummy

For much of the last three years, critics of the Iraq war have singled out Donald Rumsfeld for criticism. They have accused him of not using enough troops, of ignoring his generals, of shutting the State Department out of the occupation, and of being an all around colossal arrogant prick. Yet through it all, President Bush has stood by his Secretary of Defense, saying he has every confidence in the job he's doing. Even as late as last week, the President reaffirmed his faith in Rumsfeld.

Well, that was BEFORE the fiasco that befell the Republicans in yesterday's voting. With the House going Democrat, the Senate on the verge of doing so, and the majority of governorships lost by Republicans, it suddenly dawned on Bush that maybe there are some Americans out there who have gotten tired of the constant bullshit being shoveled out of the White House. Consequently it became necessary to find a scapegoat to take responsibility for the electoral losses, and guess who turned out to be the fall guy: Donald Rumsfeld.

The President announced today that a fresh perspective is needed at the Pentagon, and that Rumsfeld will be stepping down.

Huh? All of a sudden NOW is the time for a "fresh perspective!?!?" That's like Captain Smith deciding to replace the guys up in the crow's nest AFTER the Titanic hit the iceberg.

Too bad Bush didn't see the need for this change two years ago. Maybe then our troops' body count wouldn't be pushing 3,000, America's international prestige wouldn't be in the toilet, and thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens wouldn't have died in the crossfire of a civil war.

A Photo Finish In Virginia

In 2004 Republicans relied on the dual themes of family values and fear mongering to maintain their hold on power, and it worked.

They tried to do the same again this year, but weighed down by numerous charges of corruption and questionable sexual practices, the family values thing only made people burst out laughing. And with serious questions about the Iraq war, the fear factor failed to win over voters this time around. As a result, Democrats have comfortably retaken the House of Representatives and appear poised to capture the Senate as well.

One of the key Senate races has been the Virginia contest between incumbent Republican George Allen, who has been one of George W. Bush's most loyal allies, and challenger James Webb. Webb relied on Allen's fierce loyalty to the President, along with serious questions about the Republican's thinking on matters of race, to launch a serious challenge.

In fact, until last spring, very few people in Virginia had a clue who Webb was. Even I had never heard of him until a friend (Yes, you started me on the Webb path, Mike K.) emailed me an article about his likely run for office. And even going into the Democratic primary last June, Webb was considered something of an underdog. The point was moot, however, since Allen was an immensely popular Senator and former Virginia governor, and appeared unbeatable. Some in the national Republican party had even crowned Allen as Bush's heir apparent and were touting him as a presidential candidate in 2008.

Whether Webb has succeeded in pulling off a major upset remains to be seen. Out of over 2.25 million votes cast, the Democrat held a lead of less than 2,000 as of 12:30 A.M. this morning. Whether he is able to maintain that lead remains to be seen, since an estimated 130,000 absentee ballots remain to be counted. Even after those numbers are in, recounts are certain to follow.

Election Eve

The picture below (didn't turn out nearly as well as I had hoped) was the scene outside the Vienna, Virginia Metro station this morning. There was a super-sized mob outside the entrance sporting signs of various sizes for Jim Webb, the Democrat Senatorial candidate running against incumbent Republican George "Macaca Head" Allen.

Shortly after I took that photo, I recognized my own Congressman, Frank Wolf, emerge from the crowd and head for the parking lot. Wolf is a Republican, so I'm guessing he was there campaigning for himself rather than on behalf of Webb. As he walked by, I said something along the lines of "I'm surprised to see you in this crowd." Wolf just smiled, jotted down my license plate number, and said the IRS would be in touch with me.

Wolf was first elected in 1980, the same year as Ronald Reagan. He's been pretty popular in the state of Northern Virginia and usually gets re-elected with well over 60% of the vote. Democrats rarely succeed in running a significant opponent against him.

But in keeping with the anti-Republican tide sweeping the nation this year, recent polls show Wolf leading by only five percentage points. His challenger is Judy Feder, who is a Dean of something or another at Georgetown University. If Feder manages to pull out a victory, it would be a major upset.

Personally I've routinely voted for Wolf in the past, but not this time. He lost my vote during the Terry Schiavo circus last year. Although the congressman was out of the country and didn't vote to continue her life support, he later said that if he had been present, he would have. If only he had kept his mouth shut, Wolf would still have my vote.

The two signs on the right are for Tom Davis, also a Republican. Davis is a shoe-in to be re-elected. His district and Wolf's border on one another in the Vienna area, which explains why one often sees signs for both in the same area.

Later in the morning I was at the metro station again when a guy with Allen literature approached me. I told him I wasn't interested, and that I considered Allen to be an embarrassment for Virginia. The guy replied, "Webb is the one you should be embarrassed by. He's a pornographer." I asked if this was in reference to Webb's books, and he said yes, that the books were pornography.

All of a sudden I wished I were Darth Vader, and that I could just use The Force to make this guy's head explode like a melon.

I pointed out that the books were NOT pornography, that they merely contained a couple of sex scenes. Then I asked the guy how he "got here." He hesitated and said he drove. I said, no, that's not what I meant. Then I went in for the kill and told him that the reason he was here, on Earth, was because his parents had sex at least once. The guy then mumbled something about that being different and walked away.

Incidentally, earlier I made reference to the "state of Northern Virginia." The Washington Post recently had a good article about the differences between the state's northern counties and the rest of Virginia. Basically, it says those of us up here identify much more closely with DC than with Richmond, the state capital. It goes on to say that given the profound differences in politics, values and priorities, there are essentially two Virginias.

And as far I'm concerned, George Allen can stay down in HIS Virginia.

Maybe We Can Offer Him Bananas As A Reward

In a major discovery, scientists have determined that elephants can recognize themselves in mirrors. Moreover, they can use mirrors to explore parts of themselves that they otherwise can't see.

Other animals are known to recognize images in mirrors, but they don't associate the reflection to themselves. For example, birds will look in a mirror and think they're seeing another bird, which is why they will often attack the reflection.

Scientists say this is a profound evidence of the evolution of intelligence. Elephants are the first animal to pass the mirror test, though others have shown various degrees of some self-awareness. For example, monkeys seem to do well on tests that measure gaps in their knowledge. As one scientist said of chimps, "they're good at knowing what they don't know."

Monkeys are capable of knowing what they don't know!?!? Is it too late to teach President Bush that trick?

Didn't Kramer Once Do This On Seinfeld?

A 15 year old boy in Florida stole a transit bus and drove a route, picking up passengers and pocketing the money for himself. He was eventually arrested and charged with grand larceny.

No word on whether he was more punctual than the regular drivers.

The Significance Of Insignificance

I came across this amazing video on another site. More than anything else I have ever watched, heard, or read, this 6:38 clip has given me new perspective on how utterly meaningless and insignificant George W. Bush is in the overall scheme of things.

Bring Them Home

How much longer well we continue to sacrifice our young men and women in Iraq? The October death toll for American military personnel in Iraq was 105, the highest since January of 2005, bringing the war's total to over 2,800. And that figure doesn't include the thousands who have been wounded, many of whom return comatose, severely brain damaged, or with missing limbs. For those individuals and their families, there is only a lifetime of pain and suffering still ahead.

And why? Iraq was not a threat. Our no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq had Saddam contained. And under intense U.S. pressure U.N. inspection teams looking for WMD's had free reign to move around throughout Iraq. They were doing their job until we told them to get out of the country mere days before we launched the invasion. Nor did Saddam have any ties to Al Qaida, and there were no Iraqis among the hijackers. Indeed, there weren't even any terrorists there until we showed up.

It's time to face facts and end this folly. Iraq is lost.

It was lost after the first 100 days of the occupation when we suddenly realized we had no plan. There was no plan for restoring order, securing the borders, or getting the electricity turned back on.

The administration has been telling us for the last three years that we're about to turn the corner. First it was the deaths of Saddam's sons and the capture of Saddam. After that it was always "things will improve after" the return of power to the Iraqis, or parliamentary elections, or the referendum on the new constitution, or the new Prime Minister. Most recently the death of terror leader Zarqawi was supposed to take the wind out of the insurgency. Instead violence has spiked since June, and continues to accelerate. Now we're being told that the insurgents have picked up their efforts because they know the United States is having elections and they want to embarrass the Bush administration.

It's always something, isn't it?

We currently have 140,000 American soldiers in Iraq. There have been well over 100,000 troops there since March of 2003. If after three and a half years we still haven't gotten the situation under control, we NEVER will. Indeed, it only continues to get worse. There is nothing we can do at this point to change that. Our young men and women will only continue to spill their blood and sacrifice their lives in a meaningless conflict built on a web of lies.

During the 2004 presidential campaign John Kerry asked, "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" It won't be easy, but that time is upon us.

Hypocrisy Alert

Congratulations are in order for the Reverend Ted Haggard. In case you're a godless heathen who votes Democratic and haven't heard of him, the good Reverend is head of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. He is also head of the New Life Church, which has a congregation of 14,000. Haggard and his followers are leading opponents of same sex marriage, and what could be more noble than that?

Oh, and Mr. Haggard is also accused of carrying on a three year affair with another man.

Nothing wrong with that. After all, it's not like he tried to marry the guy.

A Shining Example

One of the reasons given for the invasion of Iraq--AFTER the weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda things didn't work out--was to transform the nation into some sort of inspirational example of democracy and freedom. As it turns out, that seems to finally be succeeding.... Well, sort of.

For example, the public in Syria is so appalled by the chaos and carnage that has enveloped Iraq that they have stopped pushing for democratic reforms. In fact, human rights advocates in Syria are now branded as "traitors," and citizens have come to appreciate the stability provided by living in a dictatorship.

Well, at least President Bush has accomplished something in the middle east!

Identity Crisis

Why do people think I'm some sort of liberal left wing nut job? Now someone else has referred to this blog as being "Democrat."

Does favoring a less intrusive federal government make me a Democrat? Is hoping for a balanced budget somehow un-Republican? How about wishing for leaders who don't pander to fringe groups that seek to impose the Bible on the entire country? Hoping for a government that leaves life & death medical decisions to trained medical professionals? Yearning for a President who is mentally capable of understanding the vast bodies of scientific evidence supporting evolution? Expecting that our nation's leaders will defend this country and not lead us into unnecessary wars based on falsehoods, fabrications and ignored intelligence?

If that's what it means to be a Democrat, then so be it.

Colors

In a desperate, last ditch effort to convince voters to re-elect Republicans, President Bush recently conducted a press conference and announced that the sky is blue.

Hundreds of millions of Americans immediately ran outside to see what color it REALLY is.