Sedgewick's Adventures in College

2003-07-31T20:01:00.000-05:00

I Have Some Really Good Ideas For Posts, But I Can't Find Time To Write Them All Down.

Don't like it?

Tough.

You'll have to live with it until I can get things a little more organized.

That is all.

2003-07-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

I Had a Caffeine Headache Before 8:00 This Morning

The title says it all. I had to get up early to take my sister to her government class (she's taking it now to get it out of the way), and since I didn't get enough sleep last night, I had to drink paint thin--excuse me, tea* so I didn't kill us by pulling into traffic or falling asleep at the wheel. As my sister put it yesterday, better to be overly cautious than totally dead.

Why is it that some people seem to think that being in a turn lane means they don't have to signal? I hate it when people do that, because a lot of times it's not that obvious whether they're planning to turn, or whether they just aren't paying attention and plan to go straight. Then again, I'm the type that signals intent to turn while cruising the aisles, looking for a parking space, so maybe I'm just anal. But I think I'm right on this one.

Morning show DJs are funny. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

It struck me as I was coming home that blogging (with comments) is kind of like hosting a call-in show on the radio. Especially if one's blog is politically oriented, like LGF. Blogging without comments (or without a highly motivating topic) is more like hosting regular radio, where people call in occasionally, but mostly the DJ just has to guess how many people are listening by keeping an eye on the advertising stats. And blogging without comments or a hit counter is just plain pathetic. It's like being one of those wannabe DJs who broadcasts out of his basement on a ham radio and pretends he's the real thing.

Hey, I depressed myself before nine o'clock. I think that's a new record for me.

I wore flip-flops this morning because I didn't want to bother with socks, and the lawn was wet. It was really cold, but at least my feet are clean.

That's quite enough rambling for one sitting. I'll think I'll go back to bed.

*Don't get me wrong, I love tea. I just like it strong enough to strip furniture.

2003-07-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

Wow.

Check out this video, via Emperor Misha I. Turn up your speakers before you watch it, though.

2003-07-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Reports of My Demise Have been Greatly Exaggerated

Wow, it's been a while. I hardly ever posted to begin with, but I think three months is the longest I've ever gone between posts. Going home for the summer and being forced to switch from DSL to a 56k modem on my parent's computer will do that to you. If any of the Loyal Citizens are reading this, the Minister of Compassion says hello. (I can't find anyplace to access AIM, and my parents won't get it.) Ah, me. Such is the life of an explorer.

I think one of the most frustrating things about deciding to seriously blog is just trying to come up with enough decent content to make visiting the site worthwhile. Of course, since I don't know how to make a blogroll, I don't think I'm getting any traffic anyway. I don't even have a site counter (how pathetic is that).

Maybe I'll start publishing installments of my novel online. If someone stumbles across it and likes what they see, they could tell other people, and maybe I could have one of my comp-sci major friends help me with the site, and I could expand a little, and then someday--dare I say it? Yes! Rule the world! Mwahahahahaha!

Yes, well. I also plan to let my sisters contribute. They could write out what they want to say, and then I could enter it in their names. It could work.

Righto, then. I'm going to sign off now; I'm in the computer lab at the public library, and there's a dirty old man in here who's looking a amateur porn, so I'm going to clear out and blog again later. TTFN and all that rot.

2003-05-01T06:01:00.000-05:00

SARS Update

Apparently, there have been several suspected reinfected or relapsed SARS patients in Hong Kong. Drudge Report suggests that the virus may have mutated, which just reminds me of The Andromeda Strain.

COP OUT! COOOOOOOOOP OUT!

2003-05-01T05:25:00.000-05:00

It's 5:18 in the frappin' morning, and I still haven't gotten any sleep.

The title pretty much says it all. I was up 'til two studying (would've gone to bed sooner, but I had to shower) and I finally lay down at two-thirty and got all nice and cozy and sleepy. Except for the sleepy part. I wasn't sleepy at all. My mind was, sure. It said, "Hey, body! You need to sleep!" My body replied, "Yes, I know, but I just can't seem to relax! Gee, that's a shame," it continued, "since you have a final at nine-forty-five this morning. Maybe you can sleep afterwards." Yeah, and maybe you can go to

Helsinki, which I hear is lovely this time of year. Actually, I made that up. I have no idea what Helsinki is like at the end of April/beginning of May. My guess: cold. I suppose if you've lived in Finland all your life it's really not that bad, but guess what? I'm not from Finland! I'm from Indiana! And Indiana, as we Hoosiers know, is a land of wonderful meteorological extremes. For instance, in January and February, it's not unusual for temperatures to dip below the twenty-degree mark (sometimes even lower!) for weeks on end. It is during these times that our winter refuses to vindicate itself with snow. Then we have about three weeks of nasty cold rainy weather when the trees start to leaf out again, three weeks of perfect weather in the springtime (that's where we are right now), three weeks of weather that's juuuuuuuust warm enough to be called summer instead of spring (that's early June), and then WHAMMO! Say hello to July, my friends, because it is here to stay and it's not. ever. going. to. leave. These eighty-five degree days with ninety percent humidity stick around for about two years, before peaking in August and finally cooling down a bit in September which, oddly enough, decides to tease us with the beginnings of fall foliage while hapless college students are begging the health center for assisted suicide to escape the wretched, un-air-conditioned dorms. Then, three weeks of crisp fall air and beautiful leaves, three weeks when it begins to hint that hey, we're tilting away from the sun again, and then the next thing you know, we're in December, which tries to make up for all the Christmas decorations by acting all tough and pretending it's January. More like January's annoying kid brother, you know, the one who steals your army men and then gets you in trouble when your mom steps on them the next day. December tricks us into thinking that this is the worst it's gonna get: a snowstorm here, a quick dip below freezing there, and then all of a sudden, like your cousin at a reunion, January comes up behind you and puts its freezing cold can of root beer on the back of your neck, and the cycle begins again. Only this time around, it just seems longer.

If I ever decide to post at five-thirty in the morning after a night of no sleep, shoot me. Just, shoot me. You won't even have to use a gun; I think a strategically-aimed rubber band would take me out in this state.

2003-04-30T23:39:00.000-05:00

People Annoy Me

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

2003-04-30T23:38:00.000-05:00

A Small Rant About Guns and the Gun-Fearing Wussies(tm)

I took an online survey to find out if I was conservative or liberal (as if I needed telling). Anyway, one of the questions asked how I think violent crime could best be reduced. The choices: a) stricter gun control, or b) stricter punishments for crimes commited with guns. There was absolutely no mention of putting more guns in the hands of the citizens, even though it's been shown time and time again that violent crimes, and crime rates in general, go down, down, down when the citizens are allowed to carry concealed firearms with relative freedom. After all, let's face it: who's more likely to get mugged: Granny Isobella, or Granny Isobella who might be packin' one of these?

2003-04-29T11:40:00.000-05:00

Public Service Announcement

Bill Whittle has a new essay, called VICTORY. Once again, I am humbled by his prowess as a writer to evoke emotion and thought in his readers. Go read it, or I'll come to your house and beat you with sticks. Chances are, if you're reading this, I know where you live 'cause I live there too (Hi Livingstone! Hi Frogpop! I'm coming home on Friday!).

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

2003-04-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

April 29th

Today is Holocaust Rememberance Day.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

2003-04-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

Headline Rundown

The headlines on Yahoo! as of 5:41 Thursday, April 10th:

Baghdad Suicide Attack Injures 4 Marines. Beast-turd.

U.S. Targets Last Iraqi Forces in North. Bet Turkey's banging its collective head against a wall right now.

Syria Calls for End to 'Occupation' of Iraq. Not likely. But if it gets your minds of Israel for a while, I'm willing to put up with your whining.

Thousands Back Iraq War Near Ground Zero. It's a beautiful thing.

Baseball Hall Cancels 'Bull Durham' Event Due to Anti-War Views. Okay, does anyone even care about Susan Sarandon anymore? 'Cause I sure don't. Never did, prolly never will.

CEOs See Slow U.S. Economic Growth in 2003. Toothless granny voice: "Heh! This ain't nothing compared to the crash o' Twenty-nine! Now sheddup and eat yer vittles!"

Group Lists Most Endangered Rivers, Blames Water Overuse. Nothing really to say about this one.

Haiti Officially Sanctions Voodoo. This is a very, very, very, very, very Bad Thing.

On the upside, it's warming up where I am. That's a Good Thing, I suppose.

2003-04-07T22:45:00.000-05:00

Too Funny to Pass By

From the inimitable Emperor Misha I comes this gem of a piece. My favorite line:

Your Emperor is, after all, omniscient, being directly descended from Zma'at Arze, the ancient Persian god of "Told You So, Neener, Neener".

2003-04-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Communism vs. Not Communism

This is a nighttime photograph of the Korean penninsula. Three guesses which country is which.

The first two don't count.

2003-04-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

Shameless Plugs, Part 1

Sick of CNN? LGF has some really great coverage of what's really going on over there. [Warning: some photos may be disturbing.]

Frank J. is always good for a laugh.

John Hawkins over at Right Wing News has links to excellent articles about the war and the surrounding politics (check the sidebar).

And, finally, looking for a little fun at the expense of a looney lefty? Check out the comment thread for this article over at Emperor Misha's grand little corner of the blogosphere.

Get ye hence to all of these, and partake ye of them, for they are every one mighty works of logic and laughter, and thou art guaranteed to split thy gut from an overdose of humor.

2003-04-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

Bleh.

Don't get sick when you're living by yourself.

It's just not worth it.

2003-03-27T18:22:00.000-06:00

Kevlar Is Our Friend

Brit Marine Cheats Death. He got shot in the head four times, but his helmet stopped the bullets.

All I can say is, thank you, God.

Wow.

2003-03-27T18:01:00.000-06:00

This Is Just Too Good

Once in a while in dark times, something happens that just completely brightens your day and makes you smile for a week afterward every time you think of it. This is one such occasion. Hackers Put U.S. Flag on Al-Jazeera Site.

Oh Joy! Oh Glory! Score one for the good guys! Some highlights of the article:

Hackers wreaked electronic havoc Thursday on Internet sites operated by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera, diverting Web surfers to pornography and to a page with a U.S. flag and the message "Let Freedom Ring."

Heh heh heh. I keep reading that over and over and it sounds better every time I do. Ethical questions about hacking/cracking aside, I think this is one of the finest uses of computers I've seen in a loooong time.

"Certainly, it has been hacked," acknowledged Jihad Ali Ballout, a spokesman for Al-Jazeera. He described the attack as "a frontal, vicious attack on freedom of the press" and urged anyone with information to contact authorities.

Okay, your name is Jihad, for cryin' out loud, and you have the nerve to tell Americans about freedom of the press? Honestly!

The Arab network's Web sites have been suffering disruptions for days, ever since showing pictures of dead and captive U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

I'd say what I think of this, but Mom would come after me with a baseball bat and a bar of soap.

Al-Jazeera, based in Qatar, is an unusually independent voice in the Arab world.

Bwahahahah! Oh, man, that's a good one! Stop, stop, it's too funny!

Oh, wait, you were serious? Sorry, but "unusually independent voice" sounds too ridiculous to be true. I couldn't believe it wasn't a joke. *gag*

2003-03-27T13:03:00.000-06:00

Palestinians: the Arab World's Greatest Invention

An article in the National Review goes a long way towards explaining why the Palestinians are a "people" so consumed with hate and anger, and why they have time and time again rejected all moves towards peace and harmony with the Israelis: There Will Never be a Palestinian Democracy.

It's eye-opening in more ways than one. It certainly explains why the Palestinians don't just move to other Arab nations, why they can't seem to get along with anybody, and why they've become such a tragic, wasteful death cult. A comparable example would be if Canadian citizens living in Alaska suddenly started their own intifada, trying to push the greedy and heartless Americans into the Bering Strait. Never mind that we purchased Alaska from the Russians, not the Canadians; never mind that we acquired Alaska diplomatically; never mind that Alaska wasn't part of Canada to begin with; never mind all of that. The Canadians want their land back! It's stupid, and it would never work. But it's worked for the Palestinians, because the Jews are the people of God, and the world cannot abide them.

2003-03-25T23:46:00.000-06:00

Fry the Beast-turd

I don't know if you've heard about the black muslim (wow, is that getting played up in the news! Gag) sergeant who tossed a grenade into a tent full of superior officers, but a second victim has died. I dunno about you, but I'm getting pretty sick of stuff like this showing up in our great nation. Of course, they're free to express their own opinions, but so am I, and I say that they're a bunch of ungrateful little unintelligibles. Amy-across-the-hall isn't quite this bad, but she's close, and it's starting to strain our friendship (at least on my side).

On the other hand, most people (70% of the population of America) believe in and support this war and our troops, who are fighting with their hands tied because we, being a fairly civilized people, insist on following the rules set out in the Geneva convention, unlike our opponents. RipSlashTearKillBangBangBang. What I would not give for a gun, a plane ticket, and a little SPF 45.

In closing, I'll leave you with a link to something a little more pleasant, and a lot more heartening: It Is The Soldier.

Insert obligatory plug for Cox & Forkum here.

2003-03-23T20:35:00.000-06:00

Errghh, Mid-Semester Blues . . .

It's kinda pathetic that I took a two week hiatus just because of spring break. I completely vegged for a week at home, grew fat on my mother's cooking, flunked my driver's test (I don't wanna talk about it), get back up here, and hey hey, guess what, I'm too tired and bored to blog.

Aren't I just a spectacular specimen.

Right now, there's too much stuff going on in the world for me to start linking tonight. I'll start up again tommorrow, on account of that's Monday night and Monday is a good day to apply the paddles to the chest of a dead project. And, starting Thursday night, I won't be blogging at all until next Monday night, because I'll be in Chicago. Neener.

Does anyone even read this besides Livingstone and Nigel? I gotta get Derek to show me how to edit my source code. Want links, want comments. Feel isolated, insignificant. I know that's not true in the least, but I still feel that way.

2003-03-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

Go Victor, Go Victor . . .

Victor Davis Hanson's latest piece is not only a biting satire of the liberal news media, but an in-depth, well-informed treatise on the unrealistic expectations placed on our military forces: Postmodern War. Go ye and blah blah blah.

[Hat tip: LGF]

2003-03-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

Yet Another Reason to Pave France

Mes amis, check out this juicy tidbit in the WaPo: Iraq strengthens air force with French parts.

I'm not ashamed anymore that I took French in high school. I'm going to retake it here at college, because then I'll know how to have the following conversation in French when one o' them goes off on the 'America is [insert negative noun/adjective combination]':

Me: (interrupting tirade) Do you speak German?
Him: (confused) No.
Me: You're welcome.
Exit stage left.

[Hat tip: LGF]

2003-03-07T10:26:00.000-06:00

Booyah, Go Bruce

FrontPage Magazine has several excellent articles up today. Among them:

Why the Hollywood Left Hates Bruce Willis

No Distraction (debunking myths about the war with Iraq and the war on terror)

An Alien Looks at the UN

Go ye and read of them, for they are mighty works.

2003-03-06T18:19:00.000-06:00

Sing It, Charlie, Sing It

Charlie Daniels has something to say to the anti-war celebrities that have been bleating lately, rushing with the rest of the flock straight into the jaws of the wolf. I agree with every word of that letter. I have a real problem with people like Barbra Streisand, who say that the war is all about oil and oil is bad and blah blah blah, but then confesses that she and her husband love to go off-roading in twelve-mile-epr-gallon SUVs. I have an even bigger problem with "people" like Sean Penn, who went to Iraq on a 'fact-finding mission'. Hey Sean, here's a fact for you: what you did qualifies as treason. If we weren't such a civilized society, you'd have been tried, convicted and hanged by now. But you know what? This isn't Iraq. This isn't Saudi Arabia. This is America. Right now, it's the most civilized country on the planet, bar none. And if you don't like that, if you're confused by facts, then maybe you should just leave. There are lots of people from other countries who would kill to take your place.

Charlie also has an open letter to the media, as well.

[Hat tip: John Hawkins. From the comments on his post of Charlie's letter: "Sean Penn doesn't even have a garage! You can call home and ask his wife!"

2003-03-06T18:03:00.000-06:00

Mmmmm . . . Meat

PETA's latest campaign, 'The Holocaust On Your Plate', has sparked wave after wave of controversy throughout the country. This is a good thing. The faster people see that PETA is a self-loathing organization that constantly puts the rights of dumb animals above the rights of free, thinking human beings, the faster they will go out of business. Therefore, March 15th has been designated (via Meryl Yourish) as International Eat an Animal for PETA Day. Rock on. Meryl also provides a letter that participants can send to PETA, if they're too lazy (like me) to write their own:

Dear PETA,

I found your new ad campaign, "The Holocaust on your plate," offensive and outrageous. But I don't expect your organization to suddenly develop any sense of tact or human decency, so I thought I'd tell you what your campaign has wrought:

March 15th has been designated "International Eat An Animal For PETA" day. On that day, I'll be chowing down on a juicy steak, or chicken, or perhaps I'll have lobster—fresh, of course, chosen from the tank specifically for me. Maybe I'll have a plate of ribs at my local barbecue restaurant. Then there's that great seafood restaurant with the poached salmon and the delicious crabcakes. I could take my family there.

America's a free country, and you have the right to say what you want, no matter how offensive I think it is. But as a result of your insensitivity to those millions of people who died in the real Holocaust, and to the survivors and their descendants, I and my family will show PETA the same kind of insensitivity.

And have a great, meat-filled dinner, while we're at it.

Chew on that.

Meryl also provides some addresses to send your letter to. The whole thing puts me in mind of something I read the other day:

"If God didn't want us to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them out of meat."

2003-03-05T20:36:00.000-06:00

Juries? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Juries!

Mr. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the al Qaeda mastermind recently captured in Pakistan, is on his way to Hell, via the US government. The stinking pig deserves no better. There's an interesting article in the WaPo with some novel ideas on how to make him talk.

I like 'em. I like 'em a lot. He's not being physically injured, so technically the treatment is humane, which soothes most of my concience. The rest is soothed when I think about Flight 98 and the NYFD.

This isn't a very nice thing of me to say, but nice is for people who don't want to bother with being good: I hope he dies realizing just what he helped put so many people through. Now here's where my good side comes through: I hope he sees the fallacies of his religion just in time for him to repent. Because then he can stand before God, shamefaced and cast down, and God will redeem him and lift him up. That would be the ultimate victory for our side. I doubt it's going to happen. People like him are so evil they wouldn't know redemption if it came up and bit them on the butt. But maybe, just maybe. There is always hope.

2003-03-05T09:34:00.000-06:00

Frank's Rumsfeld Does It Again

Sock it to 'em, Donny! Frank J. has another In My World up, mocking the liberal news media and our favorite cabinet member once again. Gently mocking, I should say. Heh heh, don't want them to come beating down my door with truncheons just because I said--Hey! Who the heck--I said I liked Rumsfeld! I think he's great! Get off me, you jackbooted thugs! I'm on your side! Sheesh!

There, see my membership card? Proud member of the VRWC, thank you very much. Take the back entrance when you leave. Don't want the liberals around here getting tipped off to the Dissent-Crushing Brigades so soon. They're not quite finished building the re-education camps.

2003-03-03T12:52:00.000-06:00

Le Har Har

Non Sequitur has a great cartoon today.

2003-03-03T12:32:00.000-06:00

It's About Time

Cox and Forkum, illustrators extrodinaire, have their own weblog.

It's a good thing.

2003-03-03T12:31:00.000-06:00

Frank J. Does It Again

Frank J. has a new bit of humor out today: In My World: President Bush to Do Own Lawn Care. Go ye and read of it, for it is a mightily funny work. But take care that ye not be drinking anything whilst ye reads, or 'twill cover thy keyboard like a fine summer rain.

2003-03-02T15:57:00.000-06:00

Random Stuff (Part the First)

It's March, and there's still six inches of snow in some places. I can't stand it.

The bus to Mall Wart goes past the duck pond at the north end of campus, and every time I ride past it, there's at least one or two ducks swimming around, even when there's only like one percent of the pond that's ice-free. Are they persistent, or just plain stupid?

My friend was talking last night about how, if he went to Iraq, we would lose, no matter what. And then they'd keep him alive, and put his picture on the news, and tell everyone "we lost because of this man. If you see him . . . throw bottles." It sounds best if you say it in a quiet, hate-filled voice. It's really funny, because he's very pro-war, but his girlfriend, who lives across the hall from me, is a bleeding-heart no-war save-the-trees don't-test-on-animals-even-if-it-means-people-will-die-from-an-acute-lack-of-medical-breakthroughs vegetarian type. Yet we're still friends. Odd, that.

You know what I hate? Corn syrup. I mean it. It's in everything, from snack foods to . . . well . . . snack foods. And cereals. And bread, and just about anything that needs some form of sucrose, which means that I, who is allergic to corn, and gets me some bad headaches if I eats too much of it, have to continue to read labels, even though my ADD has gone into remission, if you will, and I no longer have to watch out so much for artificial colors and flavors. I've been reading ingredient lists since I was seven. I'm like a connoisseur of labels. I can take one glance and tell you where to look to find what, and whether or not you'll regret eating that particular product.

My mom once said that the only thing keeping her from running off and joining the Amish was her microwave. I'm afraid I agree with her, regarding myself. Except that I only know like five words in German, so I'd be kinda screwed if I did run away and join them. Heck, I dunno if they'd even have me. Ah well.

I love that time right before sunrise and sunset, when everything is bathed in a dim light and takes on a blue tint. It's always been my favorite time of day, probably because my favorite color is blue, and because I associate it with midwinter evenings when that time comes at about five thirty or six o'clock, and everyone's home, safe and happy and warm, and my mom's just finishing a pot of her delicious chili and calling us to the table, and I know that as soon as that first spoonful goes down the hatch, it's going to warm me through and through, starting with the stomach and radiating outwards. One by one, we finish and leave the kitchen to quietly take back up whatever activity we were each engaged in before supper, and soon we are all in the living room, lit with the friendly, kind yellow light of the end lamps, reading, sewing, talking softly, perhaps watching Jeopardy--you probably thought I was talking about a pioneer family until I got to that part, didn't you. But no, that's my family, and every word of it is true.

I wouldn't trade them for the world.

2003-03-02T11:42:00.000-06:00

Photoshop Phun

From LGF, a wonderful response to the protest in OZ this weekend: "Phleshy Photoshop Phun".

Don't worry, it's all rated PG.

2003-03-02T11:30:00.000-06:00

The Traitors Turn Tail

The 'human shields' (I spit on them) from Britain are leaving Baghdad in droves because it's

(say this is a whiny, nasal voice)

dangerous! Get this: they're dismayed that they weren't being stationed at civilian sites! Just where the frappin' heck did they think they were gonna be? Well, here's my humble take on the article:

Almost all of the first British "human shields" to go to Iraq were on their way home last night after deciding that their much-heralded task was now too dangerous.

Too dangerous, you say? Wow, who would have thought that of a war zone, run by a bloody dictator with no regard for any human life besides his own? Gee, I never would have figured that out!

Two red double-decker buses, which symbolised the hopes of anti-war activists when they arrived to a fanfare of publicity a fortnight ago, slipped quietly out of Baghdad on the long journey back to Britain.

Funny, I don't remember much fanfare. In fact (correct me if I'm wrong), weren't they running a day behind, which made them a day late for the global protest? In fact, one article in the WaPo specifically used the word 'limping' to describe those 'red double-decker buses, which symbolised the hopes of anti-war activists'. If the symbol of their hope is a limping bus, I don't think the anti-war movement is going to last much longer in its present state. Which is just fine with me.

Nine of the original 11 activists decided to pull out after being given an ultimatum by Iraqi officials to station themselves at targets likely to be bombed in a war or leave the country. Among those departing last night was 68-year-old Godfrey Meynell, a former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, who admitted that he was leaving out of "cold fear". He had been summoned, along with 200 other shields from all over the world, to a meeting at a Baghdad hotel yesterday morning.

"Cold fear", eh? Well, I can respect his honesty. Unfortunately, that's the only thing I can respect about him without hating myself. Note the use of the words 'summoned' and 'ulitimatum': very sinister, aren't they? Brings to mind (to my mind, anyway) visions of jackbooted thugs and secret police and underground, sound-sealed interrogation chambers. You know, all the stuff the loony left says the VRWC has in abundance. Those copy-cats! They stole our ideas!

Abdul Hashimi, the head of the Friendship, Peace and Solidarity

???????

organisation that is hosting the protesters, told the shields to choose between nine so-called "strategic sites" by today or quit the country.

I love that: 'Strategic sites'. Read: not hospitals, orphanages, baby milk factories, or any humanitarian institution, because hey, guess what? Those aren't likely to be bombed!

The Iraqi warning follows frustration among Saddam Hussein's officials that only about 65 of the shields had so far agreed to take up positions at the oil refineries, power plants and water-purification sites selected by their hosts.

Those 65 'people' have my everlasting contempt, barring a complete repentance of their willingness to aid and defend a bloody dictator and enemy of the free world. They are traitors second only in magnitude to the man who hands over his own comrades to death and destruction at the hands of the enemy.

It heightened fears among some peace activists that they could be stationed at non-civilian sites.

Okay, I don't know if they've been living on the moon for the past twenty years, but anyone with any knowledge of Saddam's history could have told them that he doesn't give two rotten figs about his civilian population. I don't know if they're all fried on the Happy Plant, or what, but whatever they're smoking, I'm tempted to ask them to share. Only tempted, mind you. Darn allergies.

Mr Meynell and fellow protesters who moved into the power station in south Baghdad last weekend were dismayed to find it stood immediately next to an army base and the strategically crucial main road south to Basra.

See above invective.

Iraqi officials said there was little point in guarding what they considered to be low-risk targets.

At least they know their war games. Unfortunately, what they don't realize is that the risk of slight casualties (and by slight, I mean low numbers) among Western citizens has rarely, if ever, stopped us before. There more than forty American POWs in Hiroshima.

Iraq's decision to force the place was welcomed by some of the 20 Britons remaining in Baghdad. "It's only fair," said Uzma Bashir, 32, a college lecturer who is one of the team leaders.

No, what's only fair is for you to be stripped naked, tied to a wall, and soundly slapped by every member of every family who has lost a loved one to Saddam's oppresive regime. Heck, we could sell tickets.

"We've come here as shields to defend sites and now the Iraqis are asking us to make our choice."

Oh, you made your choice, all right. You made your choice to betray your country and your crown, and now you are going to pay the price for your actions. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you back into the country--or if I did, I'd immediately have you arrested and put on trial as a war criminal and Benedict Arnold. You people are scum. I show you the soles of my feet.

Wow, my first fisking. I am officially no longer a blogging virgin.

UPDATE: Emperor Misha (long may he reign) has a better article than this one, with a much better fisking. [Warning: some bad language.]

2003-03-01T18:30:00.000-06:00

Dear God, I Think I'm Blind

We've got another naked protest!

Now all we need is for the guy in the picture to paint an 's' in front of the 'p' on his chest, and he'd be right on target.

2003-03-01T18:17:00.000-06:00

Is This The Summit Meeting? No, It's The Three Evil Stooges Convention!

LGF and E. Nough each have their own takes on the Arab Summit Meeting, seen here and here.

Personally, I like E's better. :-)

Update: LGF now has a more detailed article about the summit here.

2003-03-01T18:13:00.000-06:00

The Rock Thrower Gets Thrown At

E. Nough rips Edward Said a new one in this post. It's a beautiful thing.

[Warning: a little profanity.]

2003-03-01T10:08:00.000-06:00

Bravo, Sirs, Bravo

In Ridgeland, Mississippi, a store owner is giving away all his French wines, and refuses to stock more until Jacques Chirac agrees to the war in Iraq. And in Dennmark, the owner of a pizzeria is refusing to serve French and German tourists. Being in Europe, his business is suffering much more than the Mississippian's, but he's sticking to his guns and refuses to back down. Some Frenchmen are crying 'racism'. I'm crying "EUroweenies". On a brighter note, a gentleman in the United States ordered a pizza from the Dane, for delivery. Using FedEx, that's around a $30,000 order. He gets a bravo, too.

Sorry about the scarcity of links in the second half of that post. It's Saturday and I'm too lazy to look everything up.

2003-02-28T22:13:00.000-06:00

Behold the Fate of a Traitor

Seems those folks over in Iraq giving aid and comfort to our enemies are getting a little more than they bargained for. According to Emperor Misha, these so-called 'human sheilds' are quickly morphing into cannon fodder, or worse, propoganda fodder (check out the link in the article).

[Warning: Emperor Misha (long may he reign) has been known to use pretty strong profanity in the past, so be careful when exploring the rest of his glorious realm.]

2003-02-28T19:37:00.000-06:00

Ack . . . Bad Pun . . . Need . . . Air . . .

The joke of the day is at Aaron the Liberal Slayer: The Bunny and the Snake.

On a side note,

Dear France:

You're welcome.

2003-02-28T19:03:00.000-06:00

Shame, Shame, Shame!

School teachers in Maine have been harrassing students whose parents are going to fight in Iraq. Most of these kids are in first through third grade.

Beast-turds. 'Nur' is too good for them.

Winds of Change has the full story here.

My dad has told me many times the story of how, when my grandpa was in Vietnam, my dad's older brother was constantly teased and harrassed by his fellow students. Parroting what their parents had said, they told my uncle that his father was a baby killer, and all sorts of other nasty things that my dad won't tell me about (maybe because he doesn't really remember them--he was only seven or eight). My uncle was literally scarred for life by this treatment, and although he attended high school in that system, he hated every minute of it and has never lived here with the rest of the family, instead living wherever the USAF put him, and finally settling in Oklahoma with his wife and two daughters. His daughters, my cousins, are both homeschooled.

I can understand what might make a child say horrible things like this to another child, because chances are he doesn't really comprehend what he's saying, and the impact it will have. But for a child to hear such words coming from a teacher, someone he trusts and admires, is beyond comprehension! The blow to the child's psyche must be tremendous! Shame, shame, shame on these teachers, and shame on the administrations that let them continue to abuse their young charges in such a despicable manner.

If I had my way, they'd all have been paddled by now. Hard.

2003-02-28T13:21:00.000-06:00

"The world, not America, has gone off the deep end"

Victor Davis Hanson does it again in his latest column: The Present Farce. Go ye and read of it, for it is a great work of wisdom and historic fact.

2003-02-27T21:54:00.000-06:00

An Excellent Illustration

Take a gander at this cartoon.

[Hat tip: Instapundit]

2003-02-27T13:07:00.000-06:00

Goodbye, Neighbor

Today, we say goodbye to America's best-known next-door neighbor, Mr. Rogers. He died early this morning of stomach cancer, diagnosed "sometime after the holidays". The full article can be had here.

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was the only show I watched with any regularity when I was little, and it's stayed with me throughout the years. I've always loved his gentle ways, the way he talked to you, instead of down to you, and the way he was always so patient and kind. Mr. Rogers was a special sort of person that only comes along once in a very great while. He touched the lives of everyone he met, be they television neighbors or real-life neighbors. When I was struggling with depression in eighth and ninth grade, I would watch Mr. Rogers when I was home sick, and he would always buoy me up. He liked me just the way I was, something I couldn't say about myself, and that was always infinitely precious.

I always enjoyed visiting the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, with King Friday the XIII, Queen Sarah and Prince Tuesday, Curious X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, the list goes on and on. Even the 'villain', Lady Elaine Fairchild, was gentle and appropriate for small children, something that cannot be said of most children's programming today. My favorites were Henrietta, with her meow language, and Daniel Striped (pronounced stripe-ed) Tiger, with his little wristwatch and his shy ways. Mr. Rogers never merchanidised his creations, but if he had, I would have bought a stuffed Daniel. And who can forget Cornflake S. Pecially and his rocking chair factory? And last, but certainly not least, the trolley itself, who took us to and from the Neighborhood day after day, never ceasing, sometimes in disguise, but always faithful and always on time. And in the real world, there was Picture Picture, the fount of knowledge. I learned how they make crayons through a Picture Picture filmstrip, and it never ceased to fascinate me. And of course the fish, and the other Neighbors who lived and worked in the great big world, Mr. McFeely and Handyman Negri and Mr. Aberly and a whole host of others. But at the center of it all was Fred, with his songs and stories, and the assurance that he liked us just the way we were.

So here's to you, Mr. Rogers. You've laced up your shoes and hung up your cardigan, and now it's time to say goodbye.

"It's a beautiful day in the Neighborhood . . . . "

2003-02-26T22:55:00.000-06:00

Wallcam Update (warning: rants ahead)

They pulled the camera back from its usual position, and now every time I want to look at the Wall I have to look at the Dome of the Rock, too. That glittering, evil monstrosity that sits on the site of Solomon's temple, that occupies the single most holy spot in the entire holy land, and agagbkgasehga;whbzbd

Okay, that last bit was from my hands pounding on the keyboard. I'm just so angry every time I see it, and the mocking way it reminds me that the world is against Israel, always has been and always will be, until the Christ comes again, just drives me absolutely mad with anger. True, unadulterated hatred for the evil that spawned such a perverted, horrible farce of a religion that is so convinced of its own superiority that it tries to dominate everything it touches. The dhimmi laws, the faceless, covered women, the violence and the hatred that pervades these people, especially concerning the Jews, all of these combine to make Islam the most evil, anti-God religion on the face of the planet. Satanism has nothing on these guys. When Satanists kill their children, the world cries out in horror. When a muslim kills his daughter because she was raped by her uncle, the world does nothing, because we need to flippin' understand their culture, and appreciate the differences that make us all so freakin' special! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

2003-02-26T22:23:00.000-06:00

The Saddest, Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard, Bar None

A high school in Kalifornia is considering doing away with the valedictorian's award, for fear that "some delicate students may suffer a damaging blow to their self-esteem". What the frap are they thinking? Oh no wait, that's just it: they're not.

I'm fairly bright, but I struggled all through high school just to pass my classes. I made all honor roll my senior year, and I didn't have high self-esteem. What I did have was self-respect, and the knowledge that my parents were very, very proud of me. When I see parents who coddle their children, never giving them a healthy dose of "I know you could have done better, and I'm very disappointed in you", my first reaction is scorn, soon replaced by an overwhelming pity for the poor child who will grow into an adult with no sense of self-worth or self-respect, only a hollow, meaningless faith in his 'high self-esteem'. And sooner or later, even that will fail him, because it's a house built on the sand, and the floods will come.

The author of the article also raises an interesting point about the conformity that is being pushed in schools. I'm not in favor of letting kids run rampant; quite the opposite, I wish they'd reintroduce paddling and uniforms (and I wanted this while I was in school, too, so neener). Conformity of the uniform sort is actually helpful to the psyche of a child, because the child, I believe, is forced to find other ways of distinguishing himself, almost always in a more creative way than "hey, let's see if I can wear this and get away with it". There's far too much expression of that last sort going on these days, but that's a subject for another post. What educators are pushing for these days is conformity of the mind, almost like a cult or crackpot religion. Reinforced by pop culture preachers who shout "buy this, buy that, or you won't fit in and people will mock you" (and they do mock you), teachers, especially in the lower grade levels, warp the minds of their young charges with theories of moral relativism, teachings eerily reminiscent of "2 + 2 = 5", and the mantra that "we are all special, we are all valuable, you are special, you are valuable, no matter what you do". This is a fine theory when used with discretion, but when bruised and battered children remain unprotected because the administration is worried about hurting the bully's feelings, things have gone too far.

I could preach some more, but it's late and I have class in the morning. I'll save the rest of my rantings for another time.

2003-02-26T15:29:00.000-06:00

Now This is #$^@% Scary!

Turns out the security as Los Alamos has more holes in it than a good piece of swiss cheese. How I Snuck Into Los Alamos is a sobering wake-up call that makes me pretty mad. No wonder the Chinese got ahold of our nuclear secrets!

2003-02-26T15:23:00.000-06:00

All Of the Arguments, Refuted At Once

And it is a thing of beauty. John Hawkins sums up and refutes the top ten anti-war arguments in one swell foop. Bravo and thank you, John.

2003-02-26T14:38:00.000-06:00

Yay Duct Tape!

Via Emperor Misha (long may he reign), this most heartening story: Judge Duct Tapes Defendant's Mouth Shut.

And he's from Texas, no less. Whoo!

2003-02-26T14:35:00.000-06:00

More Genius From Frank J.

Frank's Rumsfeld is at it again, this time about Happy Iraqi Children. Good God in Heaven, help us all.

Note: DO NOT eat or drink anything while reading Frank's post. It WILL be inhaled.

2003-02-25T16:13:00.000-06:00

Ooookay, He Had Issues

A french chef apparently shot himself when his resturant was downgraded by a food critic. Not to speak ill of the dead or anything, I'm sure he was a wonderful human being, but isn't that taking one's career just a little too seriously? That's like the kid who sued to get an A+ instead of an A. (Really happened, but I'm too lazy to look up the link.)

2003-02-24T20:14:00.000-06:00

Here's a little something I shamelessly ripped from the blog A Gaggle of Gals (and One Guy) (whoever runs the blog got it in an email, so I don't know who wrote it):

Here's how to tell if you're a liberal, conservative, or a Texan:

Question: You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small
children. Suddenly, a dangerous looking man with a huge knife comes around
the corner and is running at you while screaming obscenities. In your hand
is a Glock .40 and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he
reaches you and your family. What do you do?

Liberal Answer:

Well, that's not enough information to answer the question! Does the man
look poor or oppressed? Have I ever done anything to him that is inspiring
him to attack? Could we run away? What does my wife think? What about the
kids? Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of
his hand? What does the law say about this situation? Is it possible he'd be
happy with just killing me? Does he definitely want to kill me or would he
just be content to wound me? If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could
my family get away while he was stabbing me? This is all so confusing! I
need to debate this with some friends for a few days to try to come to a
conclusion.

Conservative Answer:

BANG!

Texan's Answer:

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! click... (sounds of clip being ejected and fresh clip installed)

Wife: "Sweetheart, he looks like he's still moving, what do you kids think?"

Son: "Mom's right Dad, I saw it too..."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Daughter: "Nice grouping Daddy!"

I think that's funny. Very, very funny. Because it's true.

2003-02-24T19:57:00.000-06:00

Support From Across the Pond

Livingstone forwarded this article to me, after recieving it from another relative. I mucked about on the web until I found a linkable copy, and present it here in all its surprising glory. I say surprising because this article, so supportive of America, was published in the Daily Mirror, a very liberal daily paper that's not usually too fond of the US.

2003-02-24T15:50:00.000-06:00

Money, Money, Money

It's often shouted from the rooftops that Conservatives are funded by big, bad corporations, while Liberals are living hand to mouth. Not so, says Front Page Magazine. Seems that liberals get more than they're willing to let on--or let go.

I love the smell of vindication in the morning (too bad it's not morning).

2003-02-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

Damning Evidence of the Day

From FrontPage Magazine: Arab Nazism: Then and Now

2003-02-23T21:40:00.000-06:00

Eat it, EU

A great cartoon from Cox & Forkum: Dudley Fed-Up.

2003-02-23T14:08:00.000-06:00

But . . . But He . . . But I . . . Ow.

The 'human shields' in Iraq are surprised that they're being positioned at a power plant. Gee, Einstein, where did you think you were going to be? Saddam doesn't give two figs about his civilian population, you assinine scumbags. Maybe while you were crammed on those double-decker buses straining to make it down the road, you should have thought of that. HAVE THE FASCIST DICTATORS OF THE LAST CENTURY TAUGHT YOU NOTHING??

traitor (from Dictionary.com)

\Trai"tor\, n. [OE. traitour, OF. tra["i]tor, tra["i]teur, F. tre[^i]tre, L. traditor, fr. tradere, traditum, to deliver, to give up or surrender treacherously, to betray; trans across, over + dare to give. See Date time, and cf. Betray,Tradition, Traditor, Treason.] 1. One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country; one guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers his country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place intrusted to his defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished; also, one who takes arms and levies war against his country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering his country. See
Treason.

Livingstone, Bloody Nigel, sorry about the rant. This explorer got a little too worked up for her own good. She's better now. Although keep in mind that in this sort of situation, hopping mad qualifies as 'better'.

2003-02-21T23:39:00.000-06:00

A Sad State of Affairs

A Canadian mother tried to get the word 'gun' removed from her daughter's spelling list. She was shot down.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me.

I remember the day of my junior prom. My cousin's wedding was the same day, in another state, but my (ex)boyfriend had already bought the tickets ($60!) and my cousin said she understood, so I stayed at my grandparents' house overnight (my dad's parents, it was my mom's niece). When my mom dropped me off, Grandpa (I'm his first grandchild) jokingly got out his shotgun and pretended to chamber a round. I remember the thrill of fear that ran through my stomach on cold little feet when I saw the gun, but more than that I remember feeling safe, knowing that if anything actually were to happen, Grandpa would not hesitate to use that firearm to keep me safe.

I feel really, really sorry for Chloe. If things stay as they are, she's going to grow up with a victim mentallity, a mind that says "I'm safe because Mommy/the government says so." She won't know how to defend herself in an emergency, because all things violent were kept from her. I read a book once where a woman was murdered, and the coroner noticed at the scene that there was a rack of fireplace tools in the area of the initial confrontation. The deceased had a weapon within easy reach, but she didn't take advantage of it because her only thought was to flee.

When I have kids, there will be a gun in the house. It will be kept unloaded and out of reach until my kids are old enough to understand that 'this is mommy's/daddy's, and you must never, ever touch it without our permission.' That's what my parents did with my sisters and me, and it worked pretty well.

2003-02-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

Let the Church Say Amen

More from Evan Coyne Maloney: the The Alliance of Liberty. What can I say, except a) Rock on, brother, and b) is he married?

2003-02-21T22:41:00.000-06:00

I Wish I'd Been There (I Could've Been His Bodyguard)

Evan Coyne Maloney of brain terminal has a lovely little video from a peace protest in NYC. He interviews different protesters about their positions, and asks them for suggestions for alternatives to war. It's quite funny (in a "haha . . . ehhhh . . . " sort of way). [Requires Quicktime, but you can get it on the site]

[Hat tip: Aaron the Liberal Slayer]

2003-02-21T22:18:00.000-06:00

Oh, For the Frappin' Love o' God!

The latest from Arab News: Wife Beating: The Entire Family is Victimized

It's not what it sounds like. It starts our pretty normal, with maybe a few hints at logic. Then it gets weird. Here's a quick quote from the second half of the article:

The root causes of violence against women have been well documented. Most people who commit violence are ignorant of Islamic teaching. Islam does not allow it save in extreme cases and then as a symbolic gesture.
Before a husband contemplates any physical action, he should ask himself why he should strike her and if it is the solution to the problem.
It is certainly against Islam to beat a good wife. An erring wife should be warned first and advised. If that does not work, then the husband could give her a light beating, the purpose of that being to embarrass rather than inflict pain.

Freaks.

2003-02-21T22:03:00.000-06:00

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Seems the organizers of a protest in San Fran were a little too enthused, and inflated their numbers a bit. Photos show 65,000 at peak of S.F. rally
Aerial study casts doubt on estimates of 200,000

[Hat tip: Little Green Footballs]

2003-02-21T18:19:00.000-06:00

This Explains a Lot

An excellent article from Front Page Magazine: How the Muslims (Finally) Conquered Europe. A brief, yet stunning excerpt:

The development of those complex ties between the Arab-Muslim world and the EU was, at its core, conditioned by an anti-Israeli and anti-American policy, the Arab ambition being to detach Europe from its Atlantic ally. As Palestinian and Islamic terrorism developed, the EU — anxious to save its growing and multiple interests in the Muslim world — accused Israel and U.S. policy of provoking it. Rather than confronting Islamic terrorism, European leaders resorted to appeasement by condemning Israel. Anti-Zionism, integrated into the developing Euro-Arab relations became a European sub-culture of hate, denigration and disinformation, nourished by the inner dynamic of the Euro-Arab Dialogue that led to the rise of Eurabia. Opposing views were silenced to maintain a monolithic façade of Islamic correctness in the press and publications. From September 2000, the outburst of Palestinian terrorism within Israel triggered a violent antisemitic wave in Europe as if it had become the heart of Arabism.

Pretty damning stuff, if you ask me.

2003-02-21T13:08:00.000-06:00

Never Falter, Never Forget

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

He was killed because he was an American, but more importantly, because he was a Jew.

We must never forget Daniel, and all the others who have fallen to blind hate over the years. We can do them and ourselves no greater service than simply keeping their memories alive.

If we can forget them, what else will fall into history's abyss? We must remember, we must not falter, and we must, must not fail. Their memories deserve at least this much.

2003-02-20T23:59:00.000-06:00

Cute Fix

I got to pet a puppy Thursday night.

I'm happy.

2003-02-20T23:27:00.000-06:00

The Explorer's Club

Livingstone and Bloody Nigel (aka Frogpop), feel free to let me know what you think of all this mess. If I can figure out how to get comments, I will, and I might be able to let you guys post on here too. I'm still exploring. See you in two weeks!

2003-02-20T23:20:00.000-06:00

An Old Twist on a New Theme

A new bit of genius at LGF. Delicious, no?

2003-02-20T23:13:00.000-06:00

Whither the Weather? The Further the Better

Ball State (and, I suppose, Muncie) got about eight inches of snow over the Valentine's Day weekend. It wasn't so bad: classes were cancelled Monday, although I still had to go in to work (Noyer's the hub dining service), and once the sidewalks were reasonably clear it was kinda nice. Let's face it, I'd rather look at clear, new-fallen snow sparkling in the sun than nasty brown mud and winter grass.

Then it warmed up. All week temps had been in the twenties and low thirties, and suddenly on Friday we had a high in the upper thirties, with forties predicted for Saturday and Sunday. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem--forty in February at an Indiana college is open-coat weather--but all that beautiful snow started melting. Not enough to spoil the view, but enough to soak the sidewalks.

Then Friday night it got cold again, and all that water puddled on the concrete decided to freeze up and revert to its mineral state. When I went to work at six thirty, I had a nice, easy, relatively warm walk. Coming home at eight thirty, I almost died. I slipped and slid at least three times on the ice, and had to marvel at the irony of it all. I had had a dickens of a time in the dishroom that night, what with the water that always spills on the floor and the rubber mats being all wonky, and it was hard work staying upright as I rounded corners, my arms laden with newly-clean dishes. And then coming home I slid on the ice, and couldn't help thinking that if I fell and broke my leg, the nice grippy soles of my shoes would have some serious explaining to do.

2003-02-20T01:52:00.000-06:00

A New Star is Arising and All That Rot

Hey hey, first post.

I've been tossing the idea of having a blog around for a few weeks now, but never really got up the gumption to take the plunge and do it until I realized I could use it for credit in my English 104 class (big, long, involved six-week project. Don't ask.). It'll also be good for my dear family to check in on me, see what's going on in my world. Plus I can post my thoughts on relevant issues for all the world to see!

I'm not sure if that last bit is a good thing, or a bad thing. I suppose it all depends on your definition of 'thought'.