Fire away.

Posted by: Ace at 02:11 PM | Comments (40)
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Just the right amount of ummm...."wrist support".

H/T Dr. Mercury more...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 02:00 PM | Comments (10)
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I hesitated last night to post a mini-review of the movie, because such a thing is so subjective. Having had more time to think on it (and since I'm confined to the house owing to falling sleet and snow), I've decided that a spoiler-free review wouldn't hurt anyone and may help you, dear morons, select a better movie to see during the holiday break.

I've put it in the extended entry because even a non-spoiler review can make it easier for you to spot (and thereby be bothered by) this movie's many flaws. In fact, there's one possible spoiler right at the bottom of the review. I've marked it out, so those who don't want to read it can try and avoid it. Also, the comments are NOT a spoiler-free zone, so caveat lector. more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 01:05 PM | Comments (29)
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Rather surprising this one didn't hit the cutting room floor at PBS.

...We sent other troops over there, and there are a lot of reasons the surge certainly hasn't hurt. It's helped. I recognize that...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 11:14 AM | Comments (21)
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Not sure how I feel about this. On one hand it's awesome. On the other hand, it's almost as if he wants to win the Miss Integrity sash more than the pageant.

Still... if he can win like this...

AKD: What will you do for the farmers of Bremer County?

FT: (laughs)

AKD: You knew this was coming, right?

FT: I would continue to enjoy the fruits of their labor. IÂ’ve been looking all over Iowa for a bad steak and I canÂ’t find it. Been trying my best. ItÂ’s not a matter of what I would do for the farmers. Farmers are not looking for a president to hand them something. Farmers want fair treatment and a chance to prosper in a free economy and thatÂ’s what I would help ensure. ThereÂ’s a lot of programs weÂ’ve got out there, some of which are good programs, some of which are not. And I think that we need to work our way through that and make sure weÂ’re doing whatÂ’s good for the country, not just the farmers, not just the people of Iowa, not just the people of Tennessee. But good for the country. A sound policy that makes sense. I think thereÂ’s a lot more that we could do for the working farmer in terms of ecological programs and environmental programs - land conservation, soil conservation - that would be fair and it would be beneficial to the nation and to Iowa and to our country. WeÂ’re going to have to phase out the corporate welfare system weÂ’ve got, however. There are extremely rich people living in skyscrapers in Manhattan that are receiving subsidy payments. I think thatÂ’s wrong. IÂ’d put a stop to that if it was within my power. That still continues in this latest Farm Bill and itÂ’s not right. There ought to be a cutoff at some level and itÂ’s not right to have millionaires receiving farm subsidies.

It's not exactly a "You'll get nothing and like it" but it's along those lines.

Fred Thompson: The Judge Elihu Smails candidate. In a good way.

Posted by: Ace at 10:55 AM | Comments (57)
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Michelle Malkin is steamed about a report from ABC News which provided an "exclusive look inside the Transportation Security Operations Center." Says Malkin:

What exactly did TSA hope to accomplish by allowing ABC News to tour this no-longer-secret “Secret Security Center” other than puffing itself up?

How does this promote and protect our safety?

She's forgetting that the TSA has two different missions. The first is, when it is financially and practically possible, to make transportation systems and hubs, including airports, highways, railroads, and ports, more secure. The second, unofficial mission is to make travelers feel more secure.

Letting ABC News into the TSA command center fits squarely within the second mission. How many of us already expected such a place to exist? I sure did. Are we less safe because we know with certainty that it exists? Of course not.

It's not so much "Treating Secrets Arbitrarily" as Malkin alleges, but "Trying Some Alternatives."

Related: The TSA ranks only second (to FEMA) among least-liked federal agencies, managing to tie the IRS at the bottom. This isn't unexpected, of course. Transportation security is one of those things that, like going to the dentist, of necessity introduces discomfort into our lives.

"I am so frustrated with TSA that I am ready to stop flying," one traveler wrote in a Sept. 7 complaint filed with the agency. "I'm sure this doesn't matter to you because my tax dollars are already paying you."

The AP poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, found that the more people travel, the less they like TSA.

On the other hand, the poll also found that 53 percent of air travelers think TSA does a "very" or "somewhat" good job.

I travel pretty frequently, flying around the country to see friends and family whenever I have even a few days off. That means that I always travel at the worst times: holidays and school breaks. And I have to say, I wish that travelers like the person quoted above would just stay home. Whining and complaining about security procedures doesn't do much to solve problems, but it does a lot to fray the nerves of other travelers.

I've tucked a little travel-related complaining of my own into the extended entry. more...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 10:53 AM | Comments (17)
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Arizona's new law designed to crack down on the employers of illegal aliens goes into effect on January 1st. It's already having an effect.

"People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors — they're moving back to Mexico," said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. "They don't want to live in fear, in terror."

Martin Herrera, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker who lives in Camp Verde, 70 miles north of Phoenix, said he is planning to return to Mexico as soon as he ties up loose ends after living here for four years.

State Rep. Russell Pearce, the man who authored the new law, says that is exactly the point:

"I'm hoping they will self-deport," Pearce said. "They broke the law. They're criminals."

A similar law went into effect here in Oklahoma in November, which precipitated widespread "illegal flight." On the other hand, agriculture and construction employers are complaining about the labor shortage; increased prices, owing to the cost of enticing new workers, will follow.

Some folks, including State Sen. Harry Coates, are pushing to rescind the law, in part because fewer illegals means fewer sales tax receipts. Coates does not consider that the reduced sales tax collections will be offset by a reduction in the cost of state services.

Will the federal government learn from the states' example?

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 10:27 AM | Comments (14)
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When Tom Tancredo dropped out of the race the other day, he threw his endorsement to Mitt Romney; however, his campaign manager didn't agree & came out for Fred Thompson in this morning's paper. I can't find the link to the article on their website ........SEE! THE MEDIA IS CONSPIRING AGAINST FRED, THE ONLY TRUE CONSERVATIVE IN THE RACE! IT'S THEIR WAY OF MARGINALIZING THE ONLY MAN WHO COULD BEAT HILLARY/OBAMA IN THE GENERAL ELECTION WITH HALF HIS BRAIN TIED BEHIND HIS BACK /Fredbot off/

OK, that was weird. Anyway, Salier is a "former active duty" marine who farms in East Central Iowa. Back in '02, he challenged Greg Ganske, a moderate congressman, in the Republican Senate primary race. Ganske won the primary, but he lost to Tom Harkin in the general. Salier's a big figure among so-cons here in Iowa, and characterized his former boss' endorsement of Romney as "political positioning". Salier's got a lot of respect among home schoolers & their ilk, which might help Fred peel off some of Huck's supporters.

Will this endorsement make a difference? Maybe, a little. Honestly, if Tancredo had that much pull with voters, he'd have been polling above 3%, but Fred's not in a position to turn away ANY prospective voters right now. If Fred & Mitt split the former Tancredo voters, they'll pick up maybe 2% each. I happen to think that Fred will get the lion's share of this bloc, but time will tell.

We're headed to one of my brother-in-law's houses this morning for the in-law christmas (I've got multiple BIL's, not one BIL with multiple houses, just to be clear), and then it looks like we've got another snowstorm rolling into Iowa this afternoon. I think Fred's plan is to work Iowa right up to Christmas Eve, then come back to start the second leg of his bus tour on the 26th. Hopefully, the weather doesn't go all to hell on him & keep the bus parked under a sheet of ice.

If I don't get around to making another update on the Iowa Situation, I wanted to wish all you Morons a Merry Christmas. You guys are like a big extended family to me. Admittedly, it's a pretty dysfunctional family, but family nontheless. All the best to you & yours.

May your Holiday Cranberry-flavored Val-U-Rite be properly chilled, and may all your hobos be slow of foot, nearsighted & hard of hearing.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 07:10 AM | Comments (27)
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In the "all I want for Christmas is a brokered convention" thread I was asked the following question by commenter "canuk":

Perhaps the only way to separate them is to ask yourself one question, in times of war with the survival of Western Civilization at stake, who would you rather have in command. Which candidate have a proven record of actual achievements when the task was considered impossible. Who in the immediate aftermath of 911 showed strength and leadership when both were sorely needed.

You can pretty much discard most of the pretenders right there. That's the only question we really should be asking, all other issues are minor details.

I think he has a point here. So I answered him with:

General David Petraeus.

I'm genuinely interested here. If Gen. Petreaus were to suddenly become part of the GOP field, would you be excited? Would you rethink your current commitment to whichever candidate you support?

Because he's a cypher at this point, isn't he? What do we really know about the General?

Do we know his stance on illegal immigration? On tax cuts? On abortion? On any social or fiscal issue? I will admit, if there is anything out there in which he has discussed these types of issues I haven't seen it.

We do know this though: he is a career military officer who took over a difficult assignment in Iraq at a time when the majority of the Nation's political elites seemed to be determined to write off the country to the islamofascists. We know that at the request of President Bush and Vice President Cheney he developed and implemented a strategy that appears to be placing Victory in reach. We know that he has seen the enemy up close and personal, and that he continues to kick its ass.

Is this not a more significant achievement than can be claimed by any candidate of either party currently in the field?

You see, I'm not looking for a "perfect" candidate. I'm simply looking for a man or woman who measures up to the responsibilities and demands of the office.

I have no doubt that General Petraeus would.

Giuliani? Romney? Thompson? McCain? Paul? Huckabee? Clinton? Obama? Edwards?

Don't they all, to one extent or another, appear diminished by Gen. Petraeus' public accomplishments?

I think so.

And I think it's a shame that we are faced with a choice between a guy who's claim to fame is that he "saved the Winter Olympics", or a guy who's claim to fame is that he "lost a ton of weight", or a woman who wouldn't be in the discussion had she not married a future President, or a man who channels dead kids' spirits in court, or a man who was endorsed by Oprah, or a blimp flying Bircher, or a guy who's been on TV a lot, or a guy who never met a TV news anchor he wouldn't sell out his party for, or a guy who ditched his wife at a press conference.

Which is why I want a brokered convention. That allows for the "unexpected". That allows for the opportunity to draft a candidate who, whatever his or her shortcomings, doesn't seem so...small.

I have long felt that a legacy of the Clinton Administration was a diminishment of the Office of the Presidency. Between his constant scandals and his inability to do anything of substance *except Lewinski*...(ba-da-bump) for 8 years, about the only legacy Billy Jeff left was a lowering of the bar.

He lowered the standards for men and women who could be considered fit for the office. And he lowered expectations of what they would do when they got there.

That's one of the reason some of these clowns....yeah, I'm looking at you Silky...honestly believe they can be President. The expectations are so low, no one feels they are going to be laughed off stage.

I think someone like Petreaus would reverse that trend. I don't think anybody in the present field would.

And I think it's time that the trend were reversed. Bush was on to something with his "restoring honor and dignity to the White House" theme. And I think he tried. I also think history will treat him more favorably than it will Billy Jeff, so perhaps to some degree he succeeded.

So it's not so much that I want a perfect candidate. I just want one that is not as imperfect as the choices we have.

That doesn't seem like it's so much to ask for.

And if you perked up at the thought of Petraeus as a GOP nominee?

You just might agree with me.

Posted by: Jack M. at 07:48 PM | Comments (106)
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This Sunday, Mike Huckabee is going to visit John Hagee's Cornerstone Church. Who is John Hagee? Kathryn Jean Lopez breaks down his beliefs in this column.

In Hagee’s “black history” of the Catholic Church, for example, Catholics were far from only guilty of sins of omission when it came to the Nazis, they also gave Hitler his blueprint, according to Hagee. In a speech this year, Hagee pointed to the Catholic Church as having provided the jumping-off point for the Holocaust, claiming: “That was really drawn by the Roman church. [Hitler] did not do anything differently. He only did it more ruthlessly, and on a national scale.” The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has long been concerned about Hagee’s rhetoric, calling him a “veteran bigot,” accusing him of distorting Catholic teachings and misrepresenting Church history. The League has cautioned that, “Tone matters … and Hagee’s tone is nothing but derisive.”

Although Utah isn't completely Mormon, the state contains a very large percentage of them. In 2004, 71% of voters in that state went for Bush/Cheney, their strongest showing in any state. As we well know, Huckabee hasn't done a lot to endear himself to Mormons.

Now, I'm not asking Huckabee to endorse theology with which he personally disagrees, but is it too much to ask that he not go out of his way to irritate Catholics and Mormons who might otherwise be inclined to vote Republican?

Posted by: Slublog at 05:56 PM | Comments (46)
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