19 Days ... And Counting

There are 19 days until, as Peter Baker and Michael Fletcher of the WaPo explain, the presidency of George W. Bush is over. Two words for libertarians and conservatives to think about when entering the polling booth: Speaker Pelosi.

Boston school officials have taken the fun out of what used to be recess. Out of fear of greedy lawyers and sue-happy parents, Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe approved ban on Tag - not the body spray, the game. After too many "near collisions," I guess it's in the best interests of the school not to allow children to run around and poke each other. First Dodgeball, now Tag. What's next!?
FYI: Tag was also banned in some California, Wyoming, and Washington schools. Hugging is not allowed at Sky View Middle School. Dangerous activities such as hopscotch, four square, and running have been banned in Spokane, Washington.

The Nation is pointing to the happenstance of Saddam's guilty verdict being announced on November 5th and a midterm election two days later. This may be the coming November surprise Karl Rove and Dick Cheney have been counting on. I wouldn't put it past them, but since when was it a sin to put out good news about Iraq? Remember the Defense Department catching hell for paying Iraqi newspapers to print "good news" stories? Can we cut the troops a break and give them a pat on the back!? How about another tribute along the lines of Time's 2003 Person of the Year (The American Soldier)? Or would that be considered too partisan?

I wouldn't consider this unusual for Hollywood; Madonna, already a 48-year-old mother of two, has adopted a child from the southeast African country of Malawi. Her intentions are barely admirable. One would like to think that she's helping "the starvin' childr'n" (a throwback to a Bono reference on Family Guy), but if she really wanted to help, she could start in her own country. The Hollywood types are quick to criticize the lack healthcare in America, but head to Africa instead of the slums of Brooklyn, Atlanta, or Los Angeles. How about lending an American a helping hand first, then help out the Malawians?

The NYT is reporting there will be problems this November due to newly delivered voting machines nationwide. One of the problems seems to be that the audio program used by the blind only works in Vietnamese. Wait. Vietnamese? Why are people voting in Vietnamese? Shouldn't they be voting in English? I hope, for the sake of diversity and equality, they have the African clicking language and Indian available. You wouldn't want to be brought up on segregation charges! On a similar topic, I still don't understand why we're switching to an electronic voting system without a paper backup.

What's a good way to honor a somber time in your yearly religious rituals? Up the attacks (in Ramadan) by 22%!

Great News! Robert Novak predicts the GOP will lose 20 seats in the House and the Dems will take control in January. If his predictions are anything like his earlier ones (Harriet Meirs, Rehnquist retiring, Priscilla Owen), I'm supporting Novak for the first time in ... well, ever!

Don't miss Mary Katherine Ham's new video blog, Ham Nation. Stay tuned for more on Mary Katherine.

Reading Assignments:
Cal Thomas: The Married Minority
Rich Vos: Suggestions For Republicans
Michael Goldfarb: The Nork's Next Trick: Hydrogen

Saturday Quick Hits

Abandoning the five-year-old out-of-touch "Army of One" slogan, the U.S. Army has adopted a new recruiting slogan to pump some more bodies into the undermanned service. (To me, we will always be undermanned, not as a result of poor foreign policy, but due to a growing movement of cowardace and lack of patriotism among parents and young adults.) The new "Army Strong," vice "Army of One" is part of a 200 million dollar blitz and a "centerpiece of a multimedia ad campaign.". Video here. The Air Force recently switched from "Cross Into the Blue" to "Do Something Amazing."

HotAir's got a clip of South Park's latest mockery of the 9/11 truthers. Don't miss it!

The Iraq Study Group (ISG), a bipartisan commission founded by Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) and led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission Lee Hamilton, has reportedly concluded two feasible options for pulling together what has become an uphill battle in Iraq. The first, put simply, would focus on stabalizing Baghdad, politically accommodate insurgents, and abandon the hopeful democratic endstate. The second, though not mentioning where they would go, would require troops to phase soldiers out of Iraq to minimize American casualties. Both plans imply that the administration's current plan to "stay the course," even with minor alterations logistically and tactically, can not succeed. In fact, that plan was one of two the ISG had ruled out. Michelle Malkin claims that the president, in the end, won't consider the latter of two because "Middle East democracy is the core of [President Bush's] foreign policy; it'd be like FDR repudiating the New Deal."

Mel Gibson, in an interview with Good Morning America, attempted to claim responsibility for his recent drunken remarks concerning Jews. He claimed that he was wrong for what he "roar[ed] about," but the long hours and stress drove him to drink. Yet another example of personal irresponsibility in Hollywood. A fun fact: Gibson, when asked what he would say if a black cop was there instead of a Jew, he responded, "I don't know. You'll have to get me drunk again to find out."

Caught Red Handed: Engadget uncovered the infamous hurricane machine G.W. used to destroy black communities in New Orleans. 9/11 Truthers, meet the newest Hurricane Katrina Truther.

...And There's More

Because one post just ain't enough...

Laura Mallory, crazy mom and anti-Wiccan advocate, is demanding the Gwinnett County Board of Education remove all books containing references to witches. Her target: Harry Potter and his gang of broom-ridin' hooligans. Collateral damage: Macbeth and Cinderella. I personally find literacy offensive. Me and my gang of do-nothing housewives are heading to the Boone County Board of Education to ban all books promoting literacy. That'll show'em!

I strolled through iTunes' audiobook selection and picked out Newt Gingrich's Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract With America. Nearly half way through, and it has already become required recommended reading for any conservative or traditionalist. Well worth the money. I don't see him winning the primary in 2008, but replacing Ken Mehlmen is a terrific idea.

RCP has the numbers for 2008. In the lead is Giuliani (23%) and Rice (20%) for the Republicans. For the Democrats, Clinton (35%) takes a commanding lead over Gore (16%).

Dow's at an all time high, gas prices drop for an 8th week, oil's below 60 bucks, and unemployment numbers will be lower than 5% for the 9th straight month. But of course, instant messages to young congressional pages will be all the focus.

Have some fun playing Trick-or-Treat at the Foley House!

Mark your calendars and get out your Bush/Blair/Cheney costumes! Tomorrow you can help drive out the Bush Regime. 190 protests are planned for The World Can't Wait marches. Hopefully, zombietime will have the photos.

Humpday Observations

Don't let bleeding-heart legislation take away the tools of Jack Bauer.

This Rep. Foley guy is s a real piece of work. What a sicko! He shouldn't be in "rehab". He should be locked away, stripped of the decency he stole from young boys. I'm confused, though, as to why Democrats are upset. Isn't this the party of open minds, open hearts, and accepted sodomy? If Foley was representing California's 8th District, I'm sure his popularity would skyrocket. Why the outrage from the folks who support Disney's Gay Day and San Francisco's annual parade of sodomites? Ben Shapiro has more.
Update: Foley claims he was molested by a clergyman when he was a boy. Scene Two, Take 156: Begin media hype of religious perverts. And ... ACTION!
Update: Amy Berg of HuffPo compares Foley to Catholic child-molesting clergymen.
Update: From Medskool Blog claims "Pedophilia [is] no longer just for clergy."

The Religious Right is doing their damnedest to get South Dakota's abortion law passed in November. The law, SD HB 1215, will prohibit abortions within the state except if the mother's life is in jeopardy. I honestly don't know which way to swing on this one. If it gets passed, a national debate could ensue, possibly giving states back their rights. Though, I don't like the idea of any state passing a law which prohibits a woman from killing an unborn person. The U.S. Supreme Court has the topic of a partial-birth abortion ban on the docket for this term as well.

If there's one thing that keeps me from declaring myself a Republican (except on voting ballots), it's their always-imposing moral legislation. The Repbulican's newest assault on business freedom comes in the form of gambling legislation. A new bill, expected to be signed by President Bush, was added onto the Safe Port Act by Majority Leader Bill Frist and will make it illegal for "banks, credit card companies, and online payment systems to process payment to online gambling companies." The 12 billion dollar business of online gambling will surely see a drop, but don't worry about fantasy football, horse racing, and state lottos: They're exempt from the law. It reminds me of Catholic school; where on Friday, they would preach that gambling was wrong, but hold Bingo nights on Monday (because Bingo isn't gambling).

The Woz, Steve Wozniak, has the coolest damn business card I've seen. He claims you can cut steak with it.

I don't understand why someone would oppose mandatory identification checks at voting polls, but The Nation's Editor's Cut makes a good point: If legislation is passed forcing all voters to show identification that must be paid for, it is, indirectly, a poll tax - deemed illegal by the 24th Amendment and a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1966 by violation of the Equal Protection Clause. One solution could be the implementation of a National I.D., provided for free by federal funds. On principal, however, I still don't understand why voters would not want visual quality assurance for their district and country.

Reading Assignments:
Dennis Prager: 5 Non-Religious Reasons To Marry, Not "Shack Up"
Brendan Miniter: Don't Blame Foley For The Right's November Loss
Ross Douthat & Reihan Salam: Bush's Fiscal Liberalism