Out of The Country

I am going to be in Holland for the next week and probably not able to keep up on current events (at least in the USA) as much as I would like. I will however, be blogging about my adventures in Amsterdam and Harderwijk as much as possible. This is my first trip to Europe, and while I will be working most of the time, I will also try to take in and report on the sights, the people and the culture as much as possible. Perhaps I will try to post a couple of photo's as well.

Happy Memorial Day!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day today. It is a day to honor all of the men and women who have put on one of the nations military uniforms.

I want to take this opportunity to say to all those who have worn, or are wearing the uniform of the Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.......thank you for all you do to keep this nation safe, and all you do to protect and free other nations of the world. It is a debt that I will never be able to repay, especially to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. I for one will never forget. Thank You.

Better Late than Never

I know I'm weighing in a little late on the disastrous compromise reached by 7 democrats and 7 soon to be unemployed republican Senators, but hey, I've been busy.

With a hat tip to Hugh Hewitt and Right from left let me start with the list of the back-stabbing republicans and their phone numbers. Call all, call often to voice your displeasure with how these Senators sold out the very people who put them in office in the first place.

Mike DeWine, Ohio (202) 224-2315
Susan Collins, Maine (202) 224-2523
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina (202) 224-5972
Lincoln Chaffee, Rhode Island (202) 224-2921
John McCain, Arizona (202) 224-2235
John Warner, Virginia (202) 224-2023
Olympia Snowe, Maine (202) 224-5344

You knew Snowe, Collins and Chafee were gone. They are republicans in name only. John McCain just can't help himself, he has to have his face on the news shows. He also just lost any chance he had (I never thought it was much of a chance anyway) of getting the republican nomination in 2008. He is known for two things, finance reform and now this. Oh yeah, and now he is trying to regulate professional sports too. We all know how well McCain/Feingold turned out. It was a complete debacle. There was more money spent on elections last year than ever before, only this time it was in the hands of people like George Soros. Good job Johnny.

The one that frosted me was Lindsey Graham. I think he was just voted in office 30 months ago. He ran as a conservative, and he ran with judges getting a fair up or down vote. From what I have heard from many of his constituants, he very well could be a one term Senator.

I will keep this list of Senators handy. As they come up for re-election in 2006 and 2008 I will do everything I can (which granted isn't a whole lot) to see that these politicians don't make it past the primary's. They are a discrace and they need to be replaced. They need to be replaced by real republicans.

R.I.P.

Frank Gorshin, the actor who played "The Riddler" in the 60's Batman TV show (in my opinion the best riddler of them all, including Jim Carrey) has died. He earned an emmy nomination for his portrayal of Batman's arch rival. He also earned an emmy nomination for a guest appearance in the original Star Trek series. I remember seeing him doing impressions in what I guess was a stand-up act, and the man brought tears to my eyes he was so funny.

Say It Ain't So Joe

I have a quote from Joe Lieberman recently on the so called nuclear option facing the Senate (as a matter of fact, it started today a short time ago).

Are we going to abandon a system that requires simply that 60 of a 100 Senators agree that a nominee for a lifetime appointment to the federal court is deserving of that appointment and capable of fulfilling that responsibility? In a Senate in which partisanship has reined increasingly, and the rights of the minority have been disrespected, the end of the 60 vote requirement would mean that the minimal demand that there be more than members of one party to confirm a president's nomination to our highest courts would be gone. And that is why I say in this case, the encouragement, the inducements of nominees to our highest courts, for lifetime appointments, at least have some continuity with what I would call the mainstream of American values and jurisprudence would also be gone. And that's why it would be a sad day not just for the Senate, but I believe a bad day for America.

I have many problems with this little speech. For starters, there isn't a system that requires 60 of 100 Senators agreeing on an appointment for judicial nominees. Whether it be for a lifetime appointment or not. It just isn't there. It certainly wasn't there when the democrats were in power. As for what you call mainstream American values and jurisprudence Senator, that is what we have elections for. As I said in an earlier post, mainstream America has spoken by re-electing President Bush, and increasing the republican majority in both houses of congress.

The democrats have been in power for so long they seem to think that it is their right to remain in power and the public be damned. Well guys, I have a clue for you. You led the country down a slippery slope for far too long and the country has decided we no longer want to go in that direction.

Stopping Hanoi Jane

Well it seems that Hanoi Jane Fonda isn't welcome everywhere. According to an AP story, there two theaters that refuse to show her latest movie "Monster In-Law". How appropriately named that movie is.

The owner of two Kentucky theaters has refused to show the new Jane Fonda film "Monster-in-Law" because of the activist role the actress took during the Vietnam War.

Ike Boutwell, who trained pilots during the Vietnam War, displayed pictures of Fonda clapping with a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft crew in 1972 outside the Elizabethtown Movie Palace to show his disapproval. The marquee outside Showtime Cinemas in nearby Radcliff reads: "No Jane Fonda movie in this theater."

There are some who would say that this is silly and that it happened 33 years ago so just let it go. As long as there are people living who received the brunt end of her treasonous activities, this can never be forgotten or forgiven.

Several years ago when I would baby sit my nephew Sam, I used to teach him to tell his mother (my beautiful, but far left niece Evie) that Hillary was the Wicked Witch of the West. It may be time that he and I sit down again and have a little chit-chat.

Of Course, They Duped Us With A Rovinian

The Huffington Post is off to a grand start. Steve Brant has finally put the blame where it belongs.

Newsweek getting "caught" like this has Karl Rove's stink all over it. Am I the only one who sees this pattern at work?...one that is destroying the credibility of the press? Not that the press hasn't made its own mistakes (thanks NY Times/Jason Blair)...but when it comes to "big news" stories where The White House gets to shout "How dare you!" because sources turn out to be shady (even though the facts of the story are never refuted)...

Karl Rove probably has to have 5 foot wide doors in his house just to get his head inside. Let's face it, if Rove is the mad genius that the left would have us believe, he must have a pretty good sized ego. I know I would, and some would say that I do (that would be Mrs. Scar).

It seems to me that every time the left gets caught doing something stupid, and in this case it is beyond stupid, it's criminal, it's always Rove's fault. They only fell into the trap that is Karl Rove. I guess we can start calling the phenomenon "Rovinian". "The trap was Rovinian in nature".

Not only is this an attempt to sidestep accountability, it is giving the Bush administration in general, and Karl Rove in particular an empowerment that they couldn't buy elsewhere.

Let's face it, Isikoff blew it by writing a story that had no basis in fact, no source and no credibility. He should be fired for this at once. He should not go down alone. Whoever edited the story should go for not checking out the facts, and whoever published the story should go because it is his job to make sure the story is accurate. He is ultimately the person accountable. And whoever this Whitaker guy is who stated that other news sources reported the same story, Al Jazeera doesn't count. If you aren't one of the three I've already mentioned, you should go too just for being an idiot.

In the meantime the party of Michael Moore may have what they have always wanted...possible failure in the war on terror all because the far left liberals of this country can't stand the fact that George W. Bush was re-elected by the majority (that would be the mainstream of America...come on, say it with me...MAINSTREAM) of this country. If you don't like it, then do something about it in 3 -1/2 years. In the meantime, shut up! You are getting innocent people killed.

I wonder what Isikoff sees in the mirror? He probably doesn't see the 16 or more people that are dead because he hates the president. Pity. He should dream about them every night for the rest of his life.

More About Newsweek

Jim Geraghty has a wide ranging blogosphere reaction to the whole Newsweek issue. You can read it here. Now because of another Bush hater the war on terror has taken some very serious steps backwards. I would like this Isikoff idiot to hop on the next plane to Afghanistan to try and explain the allegation and subsequent retraction of this sliming of the US military, and ultimately the of the United States.

In my opinion this is nothing short of a treasonous act. It certainly places our soldiers in harms way even more than with the so-called prison scandal at Abu Ghraib. There needs to be some writers, editors and publishers fired immediately for this one folks. I am so tired of these liberal pukes who have a vendetta against this administration, putting American lives in jeopardy and then hiding behind the first amendment. Somewhere along the line there needs to be some accountability.

Quran story doesn't pan out

It seems that the story of interrogators at Guantonamo Bay allegedly desecrating the Quran is just that, a story. According to an AP report Newsweek has issued an apology for not being able to verify the story or the sources.

Typical mainstream media. Always in a rush to report what big bad America has done and damn the consequences. In this particular case those consequences were every major muslim country in the world looking at this country verbally, and in some cases physically abusing Americans. The uproar caused by this factually untrue story is also responsible for a minimum of 15 deaths. I think that Newsweek owes a little more than an apology.

Happy Mother's Day!

I would like to take this time to wish all of you mother's a Happy Mother's Day.

On a more personal level, I want to wish Mrs Scar a very Happy Mother's Day. I would be lost without you babe. I love you very much.

Also Happy Mother's Day to Mother Scar. I love you and I wish I could see you more often, and I look forward to seeing you in July.

A Soft Economy?

The news of late has been full of warnings about the economy slowing down or even coming to a standstill. I beg to differ. This slow and dyeing economy added 274,000 jobs in April, and it seems that the prior two months reports were a little low as well, by about 93,000 jobs. There have been approximately 700,000 new jobs created in the last 3 months. Some economic tailspin.

These aren't, as some people would have you believe, low paying jobs either. Average hourly earnings in private industry climbed five cents to a record $16 in the month.

This is great news, so the democrats must be thoroughly depressed.

Brazil Rejects Funds to Fight AIDS

Brazil recently rejected a $40 million grant from the United States Agency for International Development for its AIDS prevention program. Apparently the demands the U.S. placed on the grant were too monumental for Brazil to comply. We told them that they needed to condemn prostitution. The United States passed a law in 2003 requiring organizations receiving this type of funding to oppose prostitution and sex trafficking.

The guy who runs the AIDS program in Brazil, Pedro Chequer said the demand was not based on scientific evidence about fighting the disease.

Pardon me Pedro, but I believe that the virus that causes AIDS is spread through sexual activity! Although I have no first hand knowledge of prostitution, from what I understand it has something to do with sex.

I say we keep our money, let the population die off in Brazil and try again with the next group of people who move in. Perhaps they will possess a little more grey matter.

Reid Calls President a Loser

Senator Reid on Friday called President Bush a loser during a civics discussion with a bunch of high school kids on Friday. He later called the White House and asked Karl Rove to apologize to the president for him (President Bush is in Europe). The story is here.

"The man's father is a wonderful human being," Reid, D-Nev., told students at Del Sol High School when asked about the president's policies. "I think this guy is a loser."

Reid's spokeswoman Tessa Hafen later said that he regretted the inappropriate comments.

Reid was in the school to talk to the teenagers about changing the filibuster rules as it pertains to juditial nominees. Hafen said Reid told the teenagers that if Republicans change the filibuster rules, then they can "no longer count on Senator Reid working with them on the president's agenda."

Let's take a look at these statements separately. First we have the senator, the minority leader of the senate, telling a group of high school kids that President George W. Bush is a loser. Senator, is this really what we want to teach our kids? This is nothing more than partisanship hate mongering. I consider myself a pretty observant guy, and I can't think of any time when the republicans have behaved in the way that the modern day democratic party has. Apparently yelling, screaming and name calling has taken the place of ideas and solutions. The democrats are the minority party senator, and you need only look in the mirror to figure out the reason.

As for Senator Reid no longer working with the republicans on the president's agenda, my question would be, when did he start? The only policy the minority party has practiced is obstructionism. They haven't set forth a plan for the social security crisis. For that matter, they haven't even submitted an idea to help solve the problem other than to criticize the president's plan. I suggest to you Senator Reid that you check in with your predecessor and see what obstructionist politics did for his career.

Save Amanda

Hugh Hewitt has an emotional plea for life on his website. Amanda Twellman-Dieppa is fighting her third battle with cancer and her lifetime amount of radiation is all used up, and she is only 22 years old. Medarex has a drug called CD30 that seems to have good results, but they won't release it to her. Read the story and help her out. Her website has crashed, but here it is for when they get it running again.

Hey Stranger

Well, I guess I have been a bit of a stranger lately, but until things settle in the house of Scar, blogging will probably continue to be light. So, what's happening in the world?

We have the runaway bride from Duluth, GA which happens to be about 5 minutes from my office. As far as I can tell, she didn't do too much of anything illegal. There is the little bit about lying to the authorities in New Mexico, but how much should that count. They knew in about 10 minutes that it wasn't true (and they aren't going to prosecute so why would the cops in GA want to). She is not the one who called the police to file a missing persons report so they really can't pin anything on her there.

My theory is this. She got a little scared about the billion people coming to her wedding and hopped on a Greyhound. There would be no TV or radio on the bus, so she doesn't know the police are looking for her. Once she finds out, she calls 911 and gives them a cock and bull story which they see through in minutes. The bottom line is that is not illegal for a 32 year old woman to go to Las Vegas on a bus.

What else is happening....Well, I am sitting in a hotel room in Toronto right now. I came to town to do a dog and pony show with my boss for a new product we are designing. I was actually a little surprised they let me in the country. Several months ago I sent an email to the PM about some legislature named Parish who loves to bash the US. I basically told him (kind of politely...) he needed to put her on a leash. Then again maybe it's worse than I thought and they won't let me leave! I'll let you know that tomorrow.

Radio blogger has a pretty decent take on what went wrong in 1996 and what it will take to keep the Clinton's out of the White House.

Time for me to meet some people for dinner. Hopefully I will be back after that...if it's not too late.