Well, This Was Unexpected Vox Day, writing in Vox Popoli, says this blog is "a new fave." While he disagrees with me on almost everything, apparently we share a love of hating Meghan Cox Gurdon (proof that he does indeed have a Mensa-level I.Q.) And Vox, the reason that I don't take you on is that you've sounded relatively sane and intelligent recently (hey, with TownHall, Young Conservatives, and The Corner around, I find my "laughable idiocy" needs are usually met without much trouble.) Anyway, see you on Friday, when the new Meghan column is out: maybe this time little Grunion will accidentally lock mom in the walk-in freezer . . . 11:34:45 AM  |
Straight from WorldNetDaily comes this large font-worthy news: ELECTION 2004 WorldNetDaily'10 Commandments judge' to be next U.S. president?
Per Fund, Moore's appeal could be decided by spring, giving him plenty of time to throw his name into the hat. And think what fun THAt could be!
Roy, God told me he wants you to run for President this fall. He's counting on YOU to be the candidate of the righteous, gay-marriage hating, separation-of-church-and-state despising, ten commandments-loving portion of this nation. Remember the story of Jonah, and what happened to him when he wouldn't run for president of Ninevah like God wanted him to, Roy. 8:15:14 AM |
First Spouses Presidential spouses: what should their role be? Could Judith Dean continue to work if she was First Lady? Should Teresa Heinz Kerry's personality keep us from voting for her husband? And what drugs does the White House use to keep Laura Bush in line? Those were just a few of the issues considered (except that last one) in a recent Washington Post panel discussion. There were actually some good points made, and we learned that Danielle Crittenden is a bitch. (Sure, we all suspected it, but now we know for sure.) As you will recall, Danielle is the wife of David Frum, and she is the one who let the world know that her man invented the axis of evil. (Because the people on your email lists and Christmas newsletter roster like to know your family's latest triumphs.) She wrote AmandaBright@ Home, a novel about a smart, competent woman who quits work to stay home with her kids, and does a really horrible job of it, but finds fulfillment by writing the novel AmandaBright@Home, in which she complains about how nobody appreciates her husband David Frum, and how all her friends and neighbors are jerks. Danielle's is also the founding editor of Women's Quarterly, which tells women that being a rich stay-at-home mother is what God intended them to do. And she's a good friend of Meghan Cox Gurdon's! Yes, you're right -- it's that that last item which made me mad enough to decide to write about her. Anyway, at that First Spouses discussion, Danielle contributed the following:
Ha ha. Well, maybe it wasn't just her friendship with Meghan that made me hate her. Danielle went on to say that a first lady shouldn't work outside the home because of the potential for conflict of interest, like how Hillary Clinton caused all kind of messes when she was first lady of Arkansas. A woman should just find fulfillment in being a confidant and sex partner to the President -- and in being his wife, if that happens to also be the case.
Clearly, Danielle is planning for the day when her David is President, and she gets to wear designer gowns and serve coffee to important men who will admire her for her pouring ability. Later on she says that we can judge a candidate's character from his marriage (although I think judging him from his hair is much more scientific). See, Michael Dukakis showed that he had integrity (but was still a loser) because he stuck with a shrill alcoholic like Kitty. But Teresa Heinz Kerry demonstrates that Jonah Goldberg is right about nobody liking John Kerry. Because if Teresa won't force him to take her money to finance his campaign, then clearly she fears he IS a gigolo, like Ann Coulter claimed, and we too should be wary of buying him expensive trinkets, such as those foreign shirts he likes, or the presidency.
Daniel Mulhern, the only panel member to actually HAVE a spouse holding political office, said that Danielle's comment shows what "a Rorschach test this whole question is," in that it proves that Danielle is a bitch. Except he said it nicer than me. Anyway, the Wash Post evidently liked the He Said/She Said dynamics exemplified by the above exhange, and invited Dan and Danielle to be guests at a chat where Post readers could ask them questions. When asked about a first lady such as Nancy Reagan, who seemed traditional but was actually a very powerful force for evil, as witnessed by the astrology business and the blood sacrifices in the rose garden, Danielle had the following to say:
So, there you have it: the women who seem to have been powerful in their own right had bad marriages, while Laura, who appears like she was made in a Disney animatronics lab, actually has lots of behind-the-scenes influence, in that she can withhold sex if she doesn't don't get her way. In fact, the whole Iraq war was probably her idea. Nyah, nyah! And speaking of Laura, we learn from Leonard Garment in today's Opinion Journal (which, as you know, publishes Meghan Cox Gurdon), that Laura was a great choice to announce that proposed budget increase for the NEA.
Yes, Laura IS a longtime poetry enthusiast. Let us remind you of this Laura poetry-appreciation moment:
Ever since we learned that President Bush didn't write that doggerel (although some people think he did, just because Laura SAID that he did), I've been wondering who the real poet was. And now I think we have a suspect: Dana Giola. The fact that Laura had a hand in getting him the job at the NEA proves Danielle's point: that Laura, while traditional, exerts a great deal of behind-the-scenes influence, and gets to make important contributions to sissy stuff, such as the arts. And what should be the lesson to you, the voter? Vote for the candidate with the prettiest wife, and the one who will promise to deport Danielle Crittenden. 6:40:04 AM |
Presidential Hair As I mentioned yesterday, I am in possession of a copy of a 1945 book entitled Character Reading for Fun and Popularity. As the introduction states, "With this book you can embark on a gay adventure along undiscovered paths where the signposts point to the reasons for and answers to the everlasting. 'Why people are like that.'" And since we all want to know why the presidential contenders are like that, I am embarking on a gay adventure where the signpost up ahead points to the Twilight Zone, and where we try to read their characters using the methods outlined in the book. Today we use hair analysis. So, let's look at George Bush's hair:  It's kind of grayish/light brown in color, and receding at the hairline. It seems to me to be of rather fine texture. It's cut short, and parted on the side. What does this tell us about George? Okay, his hair color tells us that he "can give you an excellent display of concentrated energy, but he will need long rests after each outburst. He lacks patience, and is constantly on the move...He is likely to work aggressively, but will soon tire of a dull, routine job." Such as the reconstruction of Iraq. "He is impatient, optimistic, perhaps fickle, and always looking for something new to try." Perhaps a marriage program, a trip to Mars, or an NEA grant. And then maybe a social security rehaul, another invasion. He flits from one thing to another. His hair color also indicates that he "loves power and authority and will want to be recognized as head man both at business and in the home." Thankfully, he's not married to Hillary Clinton, since this combination of light-haired husband and blonde wife would spell trouble, as "She too will want to rule at home and will usually have her way in running the affairs of the house." Or Senate, presumably. George's hair texture indicates he "wants a nice home, and will not tolerate dirt or disorder there" Which is why his people made such a big to-do when the departing Clinton administration toiletpapered the White House. "A person with fine-textured hair will not have very much endurance or tenacity. He will lack persistence, perseverance, resistance, and will power...His desire for nice things often leads him to purchase things beyond his budget." Or beyond the budget of the entire country. Thank heavens he can borrow against our childrens' future! George's hair style means that he is "self-confident, self-assertive, and inclined to be egotistical." But hey, this is analysis is just for fun and popularity, so don't report me to the Secret Service or anything. "At times he is dictatorial and stubborn to the point of pigheadedness. He is often antisocial in his attitude, and inclined to be radical in his views." But in a GOOD way, we hasten to assure you. His side part indicates that George is the type who will "live to a ripe old age," and that he "rarely thinks of the world beyond his circle of friends and relations." But that's what he has Condi and Dick for. I can't tell if George uses gel or something to hold his hair in place, but I think he probably does, because this section fits him. Per the book, the man who holds down his hair with hairdressing "relies on others too much and doesn't do nearly enough thinking for himself." Or enough reading for himself. "He lives only for the fun and pleasure he can get out of life." Which sure describes the George up until age 35 or so -- maybe he cut back on the gel about then. Anyway, that's what George's hair tells us about his personality, per Character Reading for Fun and Popularity. Tomorrow we will subject Kerry, Dean, and Edwards to the same scrutiny. It may be revealing. 3:33:43 AM |
Ricin = Sadam and/or Al Qaeda? Well, that's what the right-wing pundits and most of the media seems to want you to think. Here are a few examples (emphasis mine): From Instapundit:
From the Corner:
From David Frum's blog:
The LA Times:
The AP story also mentions the arrest of the men in North London, adding that police found traces of the "virulent toxin that has been linked to alQaeda terrorists and Iraq." So, it was al Qaeda who mailed that ricin to Frist. Or Saddam. I mean, who else could it be? Well, CNN does remind us that this isn't the first time traces of ricin have been found in a mail handling facility:
Yup, that was probably Osama's work too, since al Qaeda hates it when the goverment tries to cut down on truckers' profits. Sure, the LA Times also mentions that ricin was found in Greenville, as do Frum and the A.P, but none of them say anything about demands regarding trucking regulations -- probably because that would distract you from Saddam or Osama. And none of the stories I've read (which admittedly is only only a fraction of them) has made mention of the following incident, which I learned of from a link in the CNN story. More info about it was obtained from this Rhode Island Health Dept site:
And here's more, taken from excerpted FBI records:
And how did the "Minnesota Patriots' Council" get ricin? They made it themselves from castor beans -- it's apparently not that hard to do, if you know how (the process of purifying and isolating ricin from castor beans requires no supplies other than alcohol and paper towels, and reportedly several White Supremacy sites provide instructions). As the Rhode Island Dept. of Health tells us:
And because ricin is widely avalable, not only middle-Eastern terrorist groups and tyrants have been experimenting with it. Here are a couple more cases of regular citizens who have been caught with ricin, per CNN.com:
And then there is the case of Deborah Green, a Kansas city onocologist, wife, and mother who distilled ricin from castor beans and used it to poison her husband. The case is recounted in the Ann Rule book Bitter Harvest -- it's a troubling story, mostly because it shows how normal-seeming people can do horrible things. But also because it demonstrates how easy it is to formulate ricin (Green got the idea from an Agatha Christie story). Green's biggest problem was getting the castor beans, which she had to say were for her son's science project. But castor beans are readily available in many gardens. When I was a kid, my grandmother's next-door-neighbor had a castor bean tree which would drop bean pods on Grandma's lawn, leading to frequent warning from my mother not to play with them or eat them (which, of course, always made us kind of want to). The trees are fast growing and rather attractive, and many people grow them, very few of them belonging to al Qaeda, as far as can be determined. (Old Mrs. Astle, my grandma's neighbor, SEEMED harmless, but I guess you never know). My point in relating all of this? That while entirely possible that Saddam's supporters or al Queda members are behind this latest incident of a deadly substance being mailed to the Senate, it's much more likely that this is the work of a domestic terrorist group or a lone nut. And I think that it's irresponsible of the media (and the bloggers) to focus only on foreign Islamist foes as possible sources. It makes me start to wonder if there is an agenda or something. . . UPDATE: David Neiwert at Orcinus has a much better discussion than I do of ricin and domestic terrorism, and you should check it out. 1:36:12 AM |
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