My arrogant opinions about politics, culture, science fiction, and whatever else I feel like talking about.

Still Waiting

        The laptop is still in the shop, and the old computer fights with me when I try to log on.  Also, it's slow as molasses in Antarctica.  Regular blogging WILL resume, but not yet.

        Sorry

Posted by: saintonge at 15:08 | link | comments

Oh, How Sad

        The bad news is, my laptop isn't back yet, so I have to use our old half-assed Pentium II computer with inadequate memory for blogging. It really sucks.

        Also sad, but not nearly, is that CBS doesn't want Dan Rather to work for them any more.

        Mr. Rather's contract with CBS, and "60 Minutes," is not scheduled to expire until late November.  But he said yesterday that he and the network were close to an agreement that would end his tenure early, and that he was seriously mulling a new venture that, at least initially, relatively few viewers . . .

        Mr. Rather, who was anchor of the "CBS Evening News" for nearly a quarter-century and who, at one point also served as a correspondent on the news magazines "60 Minutes II" and "48 Hours," acknowledged that it would "take some adjustment" for him to get used to being seen by perhaps tens of thousands of viewers in a week, as opposed to millions.

        Mr. Rather also said that in April, in anticipation of what seemed to be his imminent departure from CBS, he had formed a company — he named it News and Guts, in a nod to what he considers the pillars of his professional life . . .

        Mr. Rather said that the 15 months since he had left the evening news, and joined "60 Minutes," had been among the most frustrating periods of his career. . . .

        Asked if the network had sought to marginalize him over his role in the disputed Guard report — including his spirited defense of the segment, for more than a week after it was broadcast — Mr. Rather said, "There's a lot I have yet to figure out."

        Well Dan, let me help you with the figuring.  First, news and guts are fine, but brains and honesty need to go with them.  You long ago sacrificed your reputation for either.  Second, insisting that phony documents are genuine doesn't cut it in the age of the internet.  Those annoying people who don't trust you will point out what's wrong with them, and you won't be able to stop them  Third, when people don't trust you, and you want to convince them you're telling the truth, you have to actually listen to the questions they ask, and actually answer them, instead of trying to change the subject.  Your attempts to switch everyone to "the substance of the report" were doomed from the beginning.

          I hope that helps.  Drop me a line if you need any advice.  Meanwhile, we'll shed tears of derision at the thought of you being seen by very few people.

Posted by: saintonge at 08:48 | link | comments (3)

Tragedy

MY FRACKING COMPUTER IS MALFUNCTIONING (THE LEFT SIDE CONTROL KEY DON'T WORK) SO I AM TAKING IT IN TO BE FIXED. NO BLOGGING TILL FURTHER NOTICE.

Posted by: saintonge at 21:01 | link | comments

The War on Western Civilization

        Political correctness is one of the weapons used against us.

        There's nothing left of the left except naked hatred for all that exists.  We're at the end of Atlas Shrugged, when James Taggart wants to kill a man, knowing that the murder will lead to his own death, which he also wants but is afraid of.  And we are going to have to fight them, on the ground of ideas and ideology.  Otherwise, "Think of a boot, stamping on a human face, forever."

Posted by: saintonge at 20:40 | link | comments

Why Did They Commit Suicide at Gitmo?

        Answer here.

Posted by: saintonge at 19:15 | link | comments

Unimportant Story of the Week

        Saddam and Osama were cooperating.

        Hat tip: Dr. Sanity.

Posted by: saintonge at 04:24 | link | comments

A Story

        Once upon a time, there was an incident called "The Great Depression."  Before the Great Depression, the Republicans were the dominant political party in the United States.  But during the Great Depression, the voters got the idea that the Republicans didn't have a clue as to how to either end the Great Depression, or ameliorate it while it lasted.  So the majority voted for a Democratic President, Franklin Roosevelt, who promised them a "New Deal."  Suddenly, the Democrats were the majority party.

        The Republicans lost five consecutive Presidential elections, and watched the Democrats control Congress for twenty out of twenty two years.  During that time, they kept running on a platform of repealing the New Deal.  One day it finally hit them — 'maybe the reason our "repeal the New Deal" message isn't working is because the people approve of the New Deal, and want it to continue.'  Acting on that basis, the Republicans affirmed their support for the New Deal, and went looking for other issues to use as a means of getting people to elect them instead of Democrats.  Almost immediately, they were back in the game.

        On Sunday, the Washington Post had various articles on what's "wrong" with the Democrats, and how they might recapture Congress.  The one idea never expressed is 'maybe our "repeal everything Presidents named Reagan and Bush did' doesn't work because people approve of what Reagan and Bush did, and want it to continue.'

        Just a thought you might find worth pondering.

Posted by: saintonge at 04:20 | link | comments (3)

Boy, Do They Think We're Stupid

        The changing opinion of Zarqawi in the MSM, shown here.

Posted by: saintonge at 03:36 | link | comments
iraq, terrorism, msm, al-qaida, war with jihadism

Wisdom

        From Allahpundit:

        Lefties, make sure that whenever Rick Santorum brings up sodomy, you punish him by flooding the zone and talking about sodomy all the time.  Nothing will create widespread sympathy for gay people who want to get married faster than a constant media drumbeat of sodomy, sodomy, sodomy.

        Read it all.  Somehow, I just don't see the Kosites actually winning general elections.

Posted by: saintonge at 02:29 | link | comments

Steyn Magnificent

        His latest column in Macleans should be read in full.  Great line: "A reader in Quebec, John Gross, emailed me to distill the mayor's approach as: "Don't get mad, get even . . . wimpier."

Posted by: saintonge at 01:44 | link | comments

Daily Kos: Lifesaver

        The Zulus almost got him, but Markos saved the day.

Posted by: saintonge at 00:22 | link | comments
satire

OOH, Good Shot!

        The best comment I've seen on the "reality-based community":

        The Community lives in a kind of hyperspatial reality for which fantasy indictments and imagined frog-marches take on a kind of quasi-material state, akin to the ghostly yet somehow seductive images one might see when watching scrambled porn channels on cable after the parents have gone to bed.

Posted by: saintonge at 23:44 | link | comments

Breaking News

        After months of pain-staking investigation, Professor Juan Cole has determined that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi actually existed!

        I can't wait for Cole's next discovery.

Posted by: saintonge at 23:36 | link | comments

Kerry Gets "Swift Boated" Again

        By Thomas Lipscomb, reporter previously nominated for a Pulitzer, at Real Clear Politics.

        Somehow, Kerry thinks he can bull-shit the country into believing his version of things without ever releasing his records.  We'll all have a good laugh when he tries.

Posted by: saintonge at 23:26 | link | comments
dishonesty, stupidity springs eternal, john kerry

Weird Coincidence

        Wizbang Politics points out that 12 polling organizations did polls on Bush's job approval ratings in May, showing the President with very low approval numbers, but since then, only three have done new polls, and two of the three show Bush's approval ratings up.

        Gee, you'd almost think the pollsters don't want to release the new numbers for some reason . . .

Posted by: saintonge at 22:48 | link | comments
politics, george w bush, dishonesty, polling

Schadenfreude

        There's reason to believe this is a parody, alas.  Still hilarious and true to life, though.

        At Daily Kos, a moron sees sound and has to be comforted by his pre-teen.

        I shouldn't laugh at another's pain and idiocy, buy I just can't help it.  Here it is, in full:

        I don't think I've ever seen such a look of misery and dejection on the face of my daughter as I just did a moment ago.  She just couldn't understand why the President would be going to Iraq when so many things are wrong in this country.  “Doesn’t Mr. Bush care about us anymore?” she asked pitifully.

        I sat down with her on the sofa and (as calmly as I could) tried to explain to her why the President seems to be abandoning his country.  “Honey, I think his boss, Mr. Rove, sent Mr. Bush out of the country in order to keep himself out of the newspapers.  You see, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be arrested today or not, and so he planned Mr. Bush’s trip ahead of time just in case...”

        I tried to keep my voice steady, but it became increasingly difficult - the rage and feelings of helplessness were just too much.  I think my daughter could tell something was wrong.  I found myself at such a loss for words - nothing made any sense; nothing makes sense anymore.  I finally had to admit, “Honey, I just don't know — I don't know what's going on in this country anymore...”

        When I finished her lower lip started to tremble and her eyes began to fill with tears, “Daddy” she said, “why are the Republicans doing this to the country?”  Well, that was it for me: I finally fell apart.  She just fell into my arms and we both began sobbing for several minutes.

        For once she had to comfort me and get me back on my feet. Sometimes I just think it's too much, but seeing the strength in my young daughter's voice helped me to get through.

Bottle-feeding newborns is like forcing them to smoke cigarettes.

by CheChe

        Everytime I think I've seen lefties be as stupid as humanly possible, they do worse.Hat tip: Tall Dave via Jeff Goldstein.  Thank you both, for calling our attention to the diamonds in the crap.

Posted by: saintonge at 22:43 | link | comments
politics, republicans, leftists, george w bush, stupidity springs eternal

Missing the Obvious

        Rich Galen, in his latest Mullings, writes about Democratic vs. Republican fundraising efforts, and says:

        Of the six national committees only the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has an actual fundraising lead over its GOP counterpart - about $56 million to $50 million - which probably has more to do with the fundraising expertise of the two chairs: Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is a known world-class arm twister whereas Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) is not.

        Possibly so, Rich, but the GOP is also known for getting lots of small donations.  Could they have dried up?  Could there be some reason Republicans are mad at their Senate?  I tried to think of some, but I'm too preoccupied with the question of illegal immigration across our porous southern border, and the Bilbray victory, to concentrate on the upper Chamber of Congress.

Posted by: saintonge at 23:33 | link | comments (2)
politics, sarcasm, republicans, illegal immigration, border security, stupidity springs eternal

What REALLY Happened?

        According to the Arab media, Israel shelled a beach, killing Palestinian civilians.  Now it's reported that the "Palestinian Authority" won't say where and when the alleged incident occurred.

        Did the Isrealis shell the beach deliberately?  Did they shell it accidentally?  At all?  Will we ever know what happened?  Did anything happen?

        Beats me.  But this is definitely a case where you don't want to rush to judgment.

        Hat tip: Roger L. Simon.

Posted by: saintonge at 17:35 | link | comments (2)

A Report Concerning Immigration

        Rich Lowry says that, based on information from an unnamed Republican Representative, the House would rather have no bill instead of a bad bill.  Also, they don't think Bush will enforce any law concerning border security they pass.

        As I read people like The Anchoress, I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that the sides on this debate come down to those who want the laws enforced, and those who want massive immigration, legally if possible, but illegal is fine with them.  This will be quite a long battle.

Posted by: saintonge at 17:24 | link | comments

Very Interesting

        Reasons for thinking the Marines in Haditha didn't do it, here, and here.

Posted by: saintonge at 13:30 | link | comments

A Good Question

        Concerning the death of Zarqawi, Bill Quick asks, concerning the MSM, "How stupid do they think we are?"

        Even dumber than them, is my guess.  Which is really insulting to us.

        Hat tip: Instapundit.

Posted by: saintonge at 13:20 | link | comments
msm, war with jihadism

Unimportant Story of the Day

        Just some chemicals buried in Iraq.  (Hat tip: Captain Ed).

        A slightly older unimportant story shows that, whatever those two trailers were, and whatever 'Curveball' may or may not have known, Iraq at least planned to prepare mobile laboratories. (warning, PDF!)

        But of course this wasn't reported in the MSM, because it is so very unimportant.

Posted by: saintonge at 10:42 | link | comments
sarcasm, msm, bias, stupidity springs eternal

An Interesting Coincidence?

        This item was on Strategy Page on June 7th, the same day (U.S. time) that he was killed, I think.  I reprint it in full:

---

Zarqawi Scheduled for Martyrdom

        June 7, 2006: The relationship between terrorist leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi and and the mainline al Qaeda leadership continues to deteriorate.  Zarqawi's recent audio messages have not only attacked the U.S. and the Shia-dominated government in Iraq, but also Iran.  He's even claiming that the U.S., Iran, and Shia in general, are in cahoots to destroy Islam.  He has also called for continued attacks against Shia.

        Except for his verbal attacks on the U.S. and the Iraqi government, he is almost totally distanced himself from the central leadership.  Other al Qaeda leaders have been trying to down play anti-Iranian and anti-Shia rhetoric, and have been strongly discouraging attacks on civilians.

        Given that Zarqawi has become a loose cannon and that his actions are handicapping Al Qaeda's efforts, it seems reasonable to expect that an accident may befall him at some point in the near future.  If handled right it can be made to look like he went out in a blaze of glory fighting American troops or that he was foully murdered.  Either way, al Qaeda gets rid of a problem and gains another "martyr."

---

        And Zarqawi's death is being spun as "martyrdom" by al-Qaida.  What did Strategy Page know, and when did they know it?

Posted by: saintonge at 10:27 | link | comments
iraq, al-qaida, intelligence, war with jihadism

The Best Comment On Zarqawi I've Seen

        This photo.

Posted by: saintonge at 09:53 | link | comments

Not So Important, but Interesting

        Your may remember the UN jerk Malloch Brown, who criticized the U.S. the other day, for not supporting them in their sex crimes, theft, and general ineptitude.  Well, L'Ombre de l'Olivier reprints the entire speech, and fisks the moron thouroughly.

        I'll add one comment.  Brown says:

        The all-moral-idealism-no-power institution was the League of Nations. The UN was explicitly designed through US leadership and the ultimate coalition of the willing, its World War II allies, as a very different creature, an antidote to the League’s failure. At the UN’s core was to be an enforceable concept of collective security protected by the victors of that war, combined with much more practical efforts to promote global values such as human rights and democracy.

        Horseshit.  The UN has no power unless all five permanent members of the Security Council agree.  The seldom do.  The idea that they would agree, or can be made to agree now, is as unrealistic as the League of Nations.  And Brown, while talking of "promoting human rights and a responsibility to protect people from abuse by their own Governments," never gets around to suggesting that the UN deal with the worst human rights violators by telling them: 'Shape up or we'll kill you.'  That's the only thing that would work in many cases, and the thing he and half the UN are most opposed to.

        Where it counts, the UN is "all-moral-idealism-no-power," and Brown wants to keep it that way, with lots of high-toned, pro-UN rhetoric from the U.S. as cover for the institution's many crimes.  The sooner we wake up and leave the wreck that is the UN, the better.  Alas, I see no hope of that.  The utopian dream that everyone will someday agree on everything of importance just won't die, and fools will continue to try to make the impossible real.  So it goes.

        Update: Wretchard has some acid commentary on Brown's speech too.

Posted by: saintonge at 08:57 | link | comments
blowhards, dishonesty, stupidity springs eternal

WHOOPEE!

        Welcome, fellow James Taranto readers!  Look around, leave comments, I hope you like the site.  I do, but I have to admit, I'm a bit biased ;-D.

        I didn't blog anything yesterday about Zarqawi, just in case it was another false alarm.  But he's really dead, half-a-dozen other top terrorists are said to be dead (reports vary), and a lot of intelligence was captured with their bodies.  Seventeen raids were said to be carried out after Zarqawi was killed, which will net more intelligence.

        Kill 'em all, Satan will put them in the proper circle of Hell.

        Oh, by the way: Fuck You, New York Times, for calling this mass-murderer an "insurgent."  Kudos to The Australian, which called Zarqawi a "monster," and to CNN who termed him a terrorist.  More press reaction noted here

        But the prize for grimly amusing stories goes to the Associated Press, who talk about the effect of Zarqawi's death on al-Qaida's "marketing" campaign!  Naturally, they never get around to mentioning how they and the rest of the MSM has have collaborated with the "marketing" effort for terrorist mass murder.  That wouldn't be "objective".

        The best starting points for links on this story that I've found are at The Wide-Awake Cafe, and The Mudville Gazette (scroll down at both places),while Pamela of Atlas Shrugs has links to many stories on Zarqawi's signifigance in the world of international terrorism.

        Leftist traitors are predictably heartbroken, though trying to put a brave face on things by displaying pessimism, and calling for us to cut and run.

        One especially amusing thing is the number of leftists who are angry because the U.S. didn't try to kill Zarqawi in 2002.  So what?  Are you saying he was a significant leader, and his death four years ago would have led to far less effective terrorism?  If so, then that magnifies the victory in taking him out now.  If not, then then there's no point to the criticism

        Further, sending in cruise missiles in an attempt to kill Zarqawi in 2002 might well have failed, and would definitely caused great criticism of the U.S. as a murderer attacking a sovereign nation (Iraq).  When the French and Russians stabbed us in the back at the UN, the killing of Zarqawi (or the unsuccessful attempt) would have been trotted out as an example of Bush unilateralism, a provocation to the Muslim world, the moral equivalent of terrorism, there would have been wails about alleged innocents killed at the same time — two of the leftist reactions are pretty explicit about this.  And of course, none of these critics are remembering that President Penis passed up a chance to attempt the killing of bin Laden . . .

        Still, not all lefties are being stupid and petulant.  One semi-intelligent leftist asks "how this plays into neocon plans to attack Iran?"  Can't say, but we can hope it accelerates them. ;-D

        It's also worth noting that the Iraqi government filled out it's cabinet, which is also progress.  And not to be outdone, our Israeli friends knocked off a Hamas terrorist who'd killed USAmericans.  All in all, a very good day indeed.

        UPDATE: Per Captain Ed, we find out the Swiss foiled a plot to shoot down an El Al airliner, which led to arrests in France and Spain.  Way to go, Europe!

Posted by: saintonge at 08:14 | link | comments
iraq, liberals, spin, terrorism, msm, democrats, leftists, bush administration, al-qaida, war with jihadism, stupidity springs eternal

We interrupt this blog for a personal message

CAL D., MY E-MAILS TO YOU ARE BOUNCING. We now return you to your irregularly scheduled ranting.

Posted by: saintonge at 06:53 | link | comments

The Republican Culture of Corruption

        Pamela catches that noted Republican Charles Rangel with his hand in the cookie jar.

Posted by: saintonge at 22:48 | link | comments (2)

Oh, Poor Babies

        Betsy Newmark, one of our "living cultural treasures," points to a story in The Washington Post in which Jim VandeHei and Charles Babington whine piteously about the advantages incumbents have in Congressional races.

        Well, fools, if you'd used your heads, this would have occurred to you before campaign finance reform made it tough for challengers to raise money.  And you'd have realized that Gerrymandering cuts both ways, and would have supported non-partisan redistricting commissions.

        As it is, you can suffer.

        Read the story, though, it's a hoot, and gives a lot of good reasons to think the Donkey party will get screwed again this November.

Posted by: saintonge at 21:40 | link | comments

As My Buddy Ralph Notes

        Congress is insane.  I'll add that it's also dishonest.

Posted by: saintonge at 20:33 | link | comments (1)
insanity, congress, dishonesty