Book and Movie Review

The other night I watched The Pacifier. It was damn-near the worst movie I've ever seen. (Second only to Going Overboard). I advise against watching this movie even in the most dire of circumstances.

On the contrary, I finished reading The 100 People Screwing Up America. Great book. He points out that most of the people he feels are screwing up are liberals. I agree with him. The America-bashers deserve to be on the list. He neglected to put two on there I think are deserving of a person screwing up America - Robert Novak (he had Paul Bugala in there) and Judge Larry Joe (of Texas Justice). Give it a read if you don't mind dropping the 27 bucks. He also forewarns that the likes of Michael Moore won't enjoy the book. Funny and entertaining. 4.5/5

Crazy Old Catholics

My wife brought to my attention that there was a saint that slayed dragons. I coudn't believe it. If catholics acknowledge that a man the revere slayed dragons it confirms their belief in dragons themselves.

Unless, of course, the church chooses to omit the part about the dragon so it matches with their story. Sounds like more of the same to me...

1 Corinthians 14:34
Deuteronomy 23:2
Ephesians 6:5
Titus 2:9
Exodus 21:7-11
1 Timothy 2:11-12

Two Ideas

Here are two ideas that I fancy:

1. A few months ago I saw a guy in the airport using a payphone. I didn't think much of it until I saw the two cellphones on his hip. I thought about it for quite a while and It came to my attention that payphones are what are primarily used for communication of illegal activity, especially in inner cities. I say, in appendix to the USA PATRIOT Act, we tap and monitor all pay phones. Illegal activity can be prevented before the crime is actually committed or threats that are made (rape, bomb, fire) can be tracked more easily.

2. I was listening to the radio today and started to wonder if the guys at the radio station had a playlist they set. A novel idea for Apple would be to organize an agreement with radio stations nationwide where you could suggest songs for the station to play that are on a specific list. I like the idea.

Just a thought.

Picture Test

Back From St. John

I'm back from a nine-day good time in St. John, Virgin Islands. I haven't really kept up with the news, but will post pictures and more commentary in the next few days. Or, hell, if I get ambitious enough... tonight.

Good Parenting

I guess we can blame what Atta did on 9/11 on bad parenting. It's not his fault is dad is a nutjob. Props to CNN for supporting terrorism!

And Awaaaaay We Go!

I'm here at the airport waiting for the flt to Atlanta. Last night, I set up the high speed internet access but was unable to set up wifi. It seems easy enough and I should have it all hooked up and working when I get back from St. John. I was excited to update my iMac and get the podcasts all set up.

Books For Vaca

As I have already mentioned, I am currently reading The 100 People That Are Screwing Up America. So far, a good read. Funny in some areas, true in most. I think I'll finish that by the end of the week, so Amy picked up What's the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America.

Ah, good beach reading. Hopefully they have newspapers and tv news down there so I don't go insane without a news source. I'm still painfully catching up from my two weeks in Ft. McCoy.

...And The Winner Is...

John G. Roberts is Bush's nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. This comes out of nowhere when the right expected to see Clements. He has some big cases ahead of him, if approved. It should make for an interesting Supreme Court session.

I believe this could be a ploy. The Pres. could nominate someone that has some skeletons in his closet by the left (Roberts). The left throws all they have at Roberts. He steps down from being appointed and another more conservative person steps up to the plate. Meanwhile, the right criticizes the left for their attacks and the public sees the left as hateful and spiteful. Up next comes the second nomination that Bush calls for a quick up or down vote and confirmation and the left puts their tales between their legs, not to look too hateful, and gives him the seat.

Just a thought. (I'm practicing to replace Karl Rove.)

Tonight at 9

Looks like G.W. will nominate Edith "Joy" Clement from the 5th U.S. Court of Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court. She is very pro-life (anti-choice) and will surely catch heat from the left. But that goes without saying.

Others from redstate.org say Edith Jones of the 5th Circuit will be nominated. As we've seen in the past, especially with Rehnquist, you don't know until you know.

Today

This morning, I cleaned up the apartment a little and the Insight guy came and plugged in my cables for broadband service. We had some trouble with the computer part, but I should be able to fix that tonight. That should add some glee to my life and possibly some pictures to the blog. Tomorrow at 0900 I take off for Atlanta then to St. Thomas and a ferry to St. John. I return on the 28th.

Give Me A Break

"The goal of the district's policy is to improve black students' academic performance by keeping them interested in school. Compared with other racial groups in the district, black students go to college the least and have the most dropouts and suspensions."

Sounds honest enough...read on.

"Ebonics is a different language, it's not slang as many believe,' Texeira said.
"For many of these students Ebonics is their language, and it should be
considered a foreign language. These students should be taught like other
students who speak a foreign language"

I don't believe in a language that changes with every new rap song.

Life Update

Long time no blog. I had drill this weekend and a very fun and rainy family day. Amy and I moved into the apartment as well. It's spacious and I love it. My entertainment system is all set up to rock out. I've been working on getting the DWL-122 USB wi-fi plug to work but still no dice. Wednesday, I leave for Saint John, V.I.. Can't wait. I also have my fall semester lined up:

MWF:
0800: HISTORY OF THE U.S. SINCE 1877 with STAFF
0900: ALGEBRA FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS with CAIN
1000: ELEMENTARY ARABIC 1 with BELHABIB
1100: CONSTITUTIONAL LAW with BARANOWSKI

Wed:
1505: AM. POL.: POST-911 AMERICA with TETEN

God This Is Scary...

Top Chinese general warns US over attack

China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan, a Chinese general said on Thursday.

“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons,” said General Zhu Chenghu.

The i's Have It

With the 9th letter of the alphabet conquering every word related to technology, (iPod, iRiver, iTunes, er6i headphones, etc.) it's no surprise that it is taking over words that make no sense with the "i" in front of it. Geez, the power of this letter...

iPocket
iKeychain
iCheer

iPod Phone

Well, July 7th has come and passed without the sight of an official iTunes capable phone. Don't frett. Looks like the new rumor date is July 25th.

Iraqis March Against Terror

Here's something you won't find on the front page of the New York Times.

Super-Size Me Review

Last night, I grabbed the wife and I some Arby's and sat down to watch Super-Size Me. It was filled with facts gross enough to make Ozzy Ozzborne queasy. Although I enjoyed every minute of the movie (including the extras), near the end I noticed a Michael Moore style about it. I have come to the conclusion it is not a documentary but a film. I didn't like how there were conclusions before the research began. Don't get me wrong, I'll never eat fast food again (ha!) because of what I have learned, but it seemed as if the makers of the movie had a point to prove and found the evidence to prove it. Worth the rent and time: 4/5 stars.

Condi Review

I just finished reading Condi: The Condoleeza Rice Story. It hightens my love for her as a scholar and diplomat. I learned a lot not only about her, but about the history of the National Security Advisor position and roles in the White House. Great read, and it only took a little longer than a week. Tomorrow, I begin The 100 People That Are Screwing Up America.

Condi/McCain '08!

Day In Review

Busy day in the news today...

Michael J. Fox is all shook up about passing a stem cell research bill.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on Rove.

Harry Potter readers are not on the Pope's "good-boy" list. Everyone has a complaint about radical Muslims... what about radical christians?!

The countdown begins for the next terrorist attack. Get your bomb-shelters ready...

Matt Cooper gives people a cocktease of what happened between him and Rove. Huh, how convenient that it comes out in the next issue of Time. I smell revenue!

Weeding Out The Weak

This is a definite 2005 Darwin Award submission.

Press Secretary Gets Grilled

Today at the Whitehouse, Scott McClellan got bashed and grilled by reporters. Most questions were concerning Karl Rove and the Whitehouse credibility. A reporter by the name of John jumped in a few times to get his free kicks in. Check out a few of the comments made to Scott:

Q But, Scott, there's a difference between what's legal and what's right. Is what Karl Rove did right?
Q Do you regret putting yourself out on a limb, Scott?
Q Do you regret putting yourself so far out on a limb when you don't know the facts?
Q Well, you haven't responded to that. Do you think you went too far two years ago?
Q No, it's the other ones he's trying to evade.

Scott's answers to most of the questions about Rove were "...it's an ongoing investigation we can't comment on yet."

...jeez... Jeff Gannon of Talon Press gets all the news, but the left gets off light. I'll try and act surprised.

Big Brother Is Watching

Google has now made it simple to get a zoomed-in bird's eye view of any place on the globe. Although creepy, it sure is fun to mess with, especially in satellite mode. Simply type in an address and it'll call it up. Zoom in and start your stake-out.

Click here for some big brother fun.

I find it especially fun if you know celebrity houses.

A Sad Day In Turkey

It is a sad day in Turkey. 450 sheep committed mass suicide by following each other off of a cliff. After the 450 made a pile of dead sheep carcasses, the other 1550 followed but were spared by the cushioning of the other victims. To prevent horrible attrocities like these from happening in the future, I suggest mass quantities of Zoloft be perscribed to any sheep showing the following signs of suicidal tendency: white or off-white fur, two ears, or traveling with other sheep diagnosed with suicidal tendencies. Let's stop this before it happens again.

July 8th, 2005: We'll Never Forget The Sheep We Have Lost

iPod Saves Terror-Victim's Hearing

Here's a story about how a man's hearing was saved by iPod headphones in the 7/7 London terror blasts:
-----------------------------------------------
Doctors told him his hearing was saved by his iPod earphones. He was
treated at the scene by a female doctor from the British Medical Association,
whose headquarters were next to the bus blast. "I was bleeding heavily, so
without her help it could have been very serious for me. Last night I went into
theatre to have my wounds cleaned. There were bits of bus in me. It was a
miracle I was not more badly injured considering how close I was to the
explosion. The help I received from people was extraordinary."
------------------------------------------------

One Day In September

Last night I sat down and watched One Day in September. It was a great documentary about the olympic murder of 11 Isrealis by 8 Palestinians (from Lybia). The director actually convinced one of the surviving terrorists to participate in the documentary. What is also amazing is the lack of counter-terrorism task forces that Germany had. Following WWII, you'd think that they had a huge police force, but they had such a small one. A great watch and worth the rent. It is narrated by Michael Douglas.

The Wife and I are working our way through The Sopranos: Season 5 as well. Good stuff.

The Left's Questions For The Next SCOTUS Nominee

Well, it looks like whoever Bush appoints to the Supreme Court, the far left will badger and find something wrong with him/her. Darleen of redstate.org has put together some questions that could be asked to give the nominee a bad image. Quite humorous.

Thomas Freidman Article

Tom Freidman has written a terrific article today about the London attacks. Give it a quick read.

Here's an expert that's especially troubling:

The Muslim village has been derelict in condemning the madness of jihadist
attacks. When Salman Rushdie wrote a controversial novel involving the prophet
Muhammad, he was sentenced to death by the leader of Iran. To this day - to this
day - no major Muslim cleric or religious body has ever issued a fatwa
condemning Osama bin Laden.

Day In Review

Tomorrow, I'm going down to Green River with a buddy for some tubin', boatin', drinkin', and water skiin'. Awesome place.

Yesterday's news of 4 explosions killing at least 50 and wounding 700 in London enrages and saddens me at the same time. It's sad that it takes something like this to wake everyone back up from their ignorant slumber. But, sadly, we will forget about this just like we forgot about Madrid and 9/11. (sorry for the lack of optimism)

Although a few are actually not funded by taxpayer dollars, Ms. Coulter's article sure gives you something to think about. Look at where some of your taxdollars really go.

Rumors are floating around that Apple will start up its own wireless carrier. This would add to their already rumored iPod phone. Too bad I just added 2 years to my Sprint contract.

Looks like Rehnquist is finally stepping down. Once again, gossip-king Robert Novak is reporting that Rehnquist is retiring by the end of this week. More confirm of chatter in the D.C. area. Looks like W. has 2 to appoint. Cramming the SC full of conservatives is likely to happen and it upsets me. Here is a better way of dealing with SC appointees. Let the war begin.

More Movie Reviews!

Last night I went to the library and checked out a CD and two movies. The CD was an hour-long NPR report called Remembering Jim Crow about segregation in the south. It's a sad and interesting look at a part of our hideous past. The two movies were Journeys With George and One Day in September. I watched JWG last night. It was hilarious. Nancy Pelosi's daughter followed G.W. around for a year during the 2000 Presidential campaign. Whether you like G.W. or hate him, it's funny and worth the rent. Tonight, I'll be watching One Day in September about the 8 Palestinians and the kidnapping of Isreali sports-stars in the 1972 Olympics. I'm sure it will be very upsetting.

I have decided on a book for the beach in St. John's: The 100 People That Are Screwing Up America. It was written by Bernard Goldberg, the same guy who wrote Bias which I used as a source for a lot of my papers the last two semesters. I can't wait. It sucks that it's 25 bananas

Quickthoughts and Comments

The next book I read will either be What's the Matter with Kansas? : How Conservatives Won the Heart of America or On Combat.

I hope we find out who leaked Valarie Plame's name to Robert Novak, Judith Miller, and Matt Cooper who outted the CIA operative. One of the two reporters is going to jail until October or until she gives up her source for the Time article. If it is Karl Rove (as much as I love the guy's brilliance in politics) he should be fired and serve jail if not prison time.

London wins bid for 2012 Olympics. As much as I hated my experience in NYC, I was really hopin' for us to get it. It also humors me to see the price of their coffees jump up to 8 bucks when something big happens.

The leaders of the richest nations talk about how to help the poorest. Unlike many people's ideas of dealing with poverty, I don't agree with throwing money at the situation. All it does is kill more innocents and put more money and blood in the hands of the militia leaders. The UN has done one thing right by sending in peace-keeping troops in to certain African areas. I believe we need to start with special operations missions bent on assassinating the vicious leaders and their henchmen. Follow this up by setting up small puppet governments. Continue with leaving and keeping the UN there to handle the small outbursts of violence.

The president-elect of Iran just can't get a break. First, everyone thinks he was a former kidnapper in the 444 day hostage-taking. Now, people are claiming he killed three Kurds in Vienna in 1989.

I leave for vacation in St. John's on the July 21st and return on the 30th. It shall be fun.

I've been kicking around the idea of internships and grad schools. No news on internships. For my Master's Degree, I'd like to attend NDSU (Where my grandpa graduated) or George Washington University.

Movie Tonight

I think tonight I'm going to rent Bamboozled and Team America: World Police. The former is a horribly depressing but serious look at racism. I originally watched this in a political science class. It ruined my entire week. The latter is a hilarious movie directed by the South Park guys. It's all puppet, and if you get the unrated version, there are some awesome puppet-sex scenes. Both are worth the rent.

To continue with the theme of movies. I bought a bootleg copy of Mr. and Mrs Smith. I think I want my time back. What could have been an interesting movie about spies was ruined by a producer that needed sex mixed with explosions. The realism factor of it all is not high either. Don't see it, don't rent it, forget it even existed. If you like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie that much, sit down and watch Tomb Raider II and Fight Club.

Something to Post

I figure I'd post something as to keep with routine. Here are some bands I've been listening to lately:

The New Amsterdams (Matthew Pryor of the Get Up Kids new band)
Ultimate Fakebook (I saw them in concert way back when)
Green Jello (I listened to these guys WAAAAY back when and thought I'd bring back some memories)
Will Smith (Surprisingly good and catchy new cd)
Say Anything (More emo from another group that cancelled their tour due to illness)

I also put together a playlist of Rock Hits that I've been jammin to. If anyone out there has mp3's or CD's of the band Lighter Theif, please post a comment. I went to a show of theirs a few years ago and I'm lookin for their stuff.

Off The Fence

I recently posted my lack of decision on whether there should be an amendment to ban the burning of the American flag. I have finally taken in both sides and made a calculated conclusion of my thoughts and feelings. Not only should there be no amendment to ban the desecration of the flag, but it should be kept legal. Hear me out. As much as I love this country and the flag that represents its beautiful heritage, history, and patriotism, the builders of this country would disapprove of such an amendment. The act of burning the flag is an act of protest and dissent, which we are guaranteed under the First Amendment. It is not, what many are calling it, an act of sedition (which is still technically legal). If we take away a citizen's right to burn the flag, we are slowly chipping away the right to demonstrate, speak, or act in dissent or protest. This was a very difficult decision for me to make. That is why it is such an important decision. As much as it pains and enrages you when you see the flag being burned, it is important to make the choice to stand up for the rights of protest and legal dissent.

There was another argument that did not effect my decision in this matter, but gave me some food for thought: If you know who is burning the flag, you know who is against America.

Defending Our Attack and Liberation

Many spew nonsense about Iraq not posessing WMD's and how our presence there is worse than Saddam's terror regime. This Weekly Standard article gives great examples of how our soldiers and leaders today are doing the right thing, not just because they're told to do so, but because in the long-run we have defeated a part of terrorism and ended a terrorist regime carried out by an evil dictator.

The article shows evidence of democrats and republicans standing by the assertions that Iraq had WMDs that were unaccounted for. It also notes that had we not stopped the villain, he would have continued to seek ways to harm the west or make money by selling missiles that would eventually harm our western culture.

Support the troops by supporting the mission!

Upcoming Rice Book

I am a big fan of Condi Rice and pray she runs for President in 2008. Most likely Hillary will make it through the primaries and give the repubs a good fight. To analyze this possible outcome, Dick Morris, writer of Bill Clinton-bashing book Because He Could, is releasing Condi vs. Hillary: The Next Great Presidential Race. I hope his predictions are right. For now, I'll be awaiting the release on Oct. 1.

Rice-McCain '08!

Criminal Blogger

Apparently, according to BlogHerald, the man accused of kidnapping two children (one of which has been found) in Idaho maintained a blog. He kept track of his thoughts and feelings. He appears to be very religious and gets very little sleep. Take a look at it before blogger.com takes it down. It's a very interesting look into the mind of a convicted sex offender and man on the run.

Note: His last post was on May 13, 2005.

Blogging = Journalism?

Legislation for including blogs as legitimate journalism is stuck in committee right now and is set to be voted on in the upcoming months. The quetion is, "should bloggers fall under the same rules as professional journalists?" As a hobby blogger, the legislation wouldn't ruin my life, but it would sure put a damper on my news-viewing ability. I see the importance of making writers give up their sources if something illegal has happened, which is currently going on with the Valarie Plane and Time News debacle. I don't, however, see a need for me or any other blogger to follow the same code of ethics or guidelines that a newspaper journalist must. I don't claim to be fair and balanced which news outlets do. Blogging is to be viewed as one man's opinions or ramblings, even if they claim to be unbiased. Blogs are not legitimate news sources and should not be treated as such. However, if a crime has been committed and a blogger knows about it, the country and citizens benefit if the blogger is subpoenaed.

More Literature

On the plane to KC, I finished The Enemy Within by Michael Savage and started on Condi by Antonia Felix. TEW was worth the time and 6 bucks, but it was just a bunch of name-calling and neo-conservative hate-speewing. He made a bunch of good points about liberals bringing down our nation, but he also contradicted himself in his arguments on more than one occasion, and he brought down the arguments with childish namecalling (which he shuns liberals for). He is the complete opposite of Michael Moore. I know somewhere in politics is a happy medium. (But you won't find that radical middle here.) Oh, and Condi is going pretty well. It'll be a short read. I will most likely finish God's Politics when I'm done with it.

Get Up Kids KC Show Recap

I attended the final Get Up Kids in Kansas City over the weekend. I truly enjoyed myself. The experience was bittersweet. I flew out to KC at about 10AM on Saturday, rented a car, and waited in line from about 1PM until they finally opened the doors at 7PM. The wait wasn't that bad and was worth the great spot near the stage. The set lasted 23 songs and two hours with a double-encore. Definitely one of the best shows I've ever been to. Three songs that really brought back memories were "Campfire Kansas," "Don't Hate Me," and "Ten Minutes." The final song was "Ten Minutes" and the lead singer called out their families and friends to join them in singing and dancing. After the show, I drove over the border to Kansas then back to the Argosy Casino and passed out in the back of the rental car for about 5 hours. Got up and flew out. Awesome show, held back the tears, and rocked out.