Don't Ya Just Love It

"The Rev. Al Sharpton said he wants a DNA test to determine whether he is related to former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond through his great-grandfather, a slave owned by an ancestor of the late senator. "

Be careful when throwing rocks, the tree you hit may be your own.

"It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all..."

More Political Correctness

I've blogged about this before, but the University of Illinois has finally decided to cave in to the NCAA's political correctness blackmail. Sadly, it appears that the chairman of UI values the dollar over their principals. What a educational statement to their students.

Two students do not appear to have learned that lesson very well: They are suing to keep Chief Illiniwek. Good for them. If you can, donate to their legal fund at Chief Legal Fund, Box 11472, Champaign, Ill., 61826.

It is good to see that there is hope for some of our young people.

Really, Really Bad Music

Here's my list of what I consider to be the worst pop songs ever:

• Feelings by Englebert Humperdinck
  
• MacArthur Park by Donna Summer
  
• You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone
• Copacobana by Barry Manilow
• Muskrat Love by Captain and Tennille
• Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
• Tonight's The Night by Rod Stewart
• Sailing by Christopher Cross
• Daydream Believer by The Monkees
• Call Me by Blondie
  
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
  
• Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond
• Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry
• You've Lost That Loving Feeling by Isley Brothers
  

This list has been running through my head for the last 2 days; don't ask me why. Maybe it will go away now. Feel free to add to the list via comments.

Kim du Toit Takes on The "S" Word

"Socialization" that is. For those of us in the homeschooling community "socialization" is the most frequent issue that gets thrown at us as a counter argument. Mr. du Toit has written a very effective critique of this so-called argument. For example:

"High school kids, unsupervised, are the most feral little beasts on the planet, and we saw no reason why we should subject our kids to that ordeal."

Personally I view the socialization gambit as a "t-ball" pitch to be hit outa-da-park. Socialization as exhibited in the public, and even most private, schools is the most artificial and harmful type of social behavior I can imagine. We do not, and will not inflict that upon our children. We care too much for them.

Romney Runs to the Right

Mitt Romney is a member of the NRA, but only since August.

Does he not realize how transparent this is. He supported gun control while governor of Massacusetts, and reportedly while in Utah and running the Olympics as well. This is clearly a temporary swing to win the primary, then he will be back to is two-timing RINO ways for the general election.

Some people are saying that we should get behind Romney (or one of the the other leading RINOs like Giuliani or McCain) now because they're most likely to be able to defeat the Democrats. Pox on their house I say. I'm not supporting a RINO until I have to. Until then, let's take the fight to the liberal, regardless of their party, and get a real conservative nominated.

Thus, with apologies to Lesly Gore, I give you the following fight song:

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Nobody knows where my party has gone
But Rudy and Mitt left the same time
Why was he holding her hand
When the GOP's supposed to be mine

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Then all my records keep dancing all night
But leave me alone for a while
'Till my party is back on track
I've got no reason to smile

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Rudy and Mitt just walked thru the door
Like a queen with the king
Oh what a birthday surprise
The're both a pair in the ring

It's my party and I'll trash who I want to
Trash who I want to, trash who I want to
You'd trash them too if it happened to you

Emerging Trend?

Hal Lindsey has a most interesting editorial on WorldNetDaily. In it he identifies two interesting trends over the last 4 years. One is a pattern of terrorist attacks by individuals of Muslim persuasion in the US, and more disturbingly a corresponding pattern on the part of law enforcement and the media to ignore this religious terrorist connection. Read it and think.

Oh the Irony of It All

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM
Bwahahahaha.

Now I have to go plow another 6" of "global warming" off my driveway.

Global Warming, Bah Humbug

Warming, schwarming. Come spend this week up here and tell me there's a warming trend:
Seriously, I'm sure everyone has heard about the latest global warming report. While there is a fair consensus that a climatic warming trend is likely occurring, blaming human civilization for said trend is not quite the consensus that the MSM and the authors of this report would have you believe.

Here is one study that contradicts the so-called report:

The Physical Evidence of Earth's Unstoppable 1,500-Year Climate Cycle

Read it and make up your own mind

If you want a more readable take on the subject check out Michael Crichton's State of Fear. It's a fiction story, but the science behind it is real. Check the references and footnotes for the facts that support this novel.

Some diligent searching will find other sources that cast credible doubt on the whole global warming, climatic catastrophe, mankind is at fault hoopla. Go forth and read with an open mind.

Update: And for a more humorous take on the subject, check out Penn and Teller's B....... Environmental Hysteria (warning: mild profanity). There are also lower bandwidth and 2 minute summary versions.
Courtesy of Curmudgeonly & Skeptical

Boston LIte-Brite Bomb Scare Thoughs

I'm sure everyone has heard about the bomb scare in Boston several days ago. It's amazing to me how reactions are split so widely. People either think it was a big over-reaction, or that it was perfectly justified. Few if any people I've met fall in the middle. Part of the problem is hindsight is 20-20 on both sides. So what is my opinion: Personally I think putting up the devices as they were was a really, really dumb idea.

First, I'm sure laws were broken in putting them up and there should be punishment for it. Piddly laws I'm sure having to do with unlawful placement of advertising, but broken none the less. Charge the youths (e.g., the scapegoats) who put them up with the appropriate misdemeanors, then go after TBS in a big way.

Second, TBS should have realized that these devices could be mistaken for bombs. Nothing I've read has indicated that there was anything on them that identifying them as coming from TBS. I think a simple "Property of Turner Broadcasting System" would have gone a long way to preventing an over-reaction. For this TBS should cover the state and city expenses for the bomb scare plus a penalty for idiocy. It was their design of the devices, their directions to place them, and their silence in notifying authorities before hand and slowness in doing so afterwards that caused the panic. I consider TBS to be at fault more than anyone else.

Third, we've come a long way from 9/11. There may have been some over-reaction on the part of Boston authorities but frankly I'd rather see that than no response. The division of opinion and the lack of response in any other city indicates that we generally have become complacent and lazy about security and terrorism. I'm disappointed there was not a more vigorous response elsewhere, or that there was any sharing of information between cities.

I predict that we will at some point regret this incident because of the hesitation in reaction that it will cause. I don't think it is a stretch to predict that some terrorist will someday create terror devices resembling some kind of guerrilla advertising device and we will miss them because we've been "burned" once. That's the saddest part of this fiasco, and that's the reason TBS needs to get hammered.

Stupidity kills.