It's Not "Do as I Do." It's "Do as I Say!"

A Research outfit in the Volunteer State put out a release today claiming that Al Gore uses as much power in a month as most of us do in a whole year.

This reminds me of when Barbara Streisand told us that we should all pitch in to conserve engery, but when pressed, her spokesperson said that Babs' preaching didn't really apply to herself.

Of course it doesn't.

Will the Real Polygamist Please Stand?

Meet the Press, this morning, mentioned a pretty good line from Kate O'Beirne on how those on the moral high horse might consider GOP Prez contender Mitt Romney's Mormonism.

“Should Mitt Romney join a 2008 race that included John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and George Allen, the only guy in the GOP field with just one wife would be the Mormon.”

This comment was written last summer before the Makaka Incident, so the George Allen reference now seems a bit dated.

Fat, Drunk and Stupid is no Way to Go Through Life, Son

The New York Times and other outlets are running a story this morning that may shock you. Some fraternal organizations on college campuses occasionally use superficial standards in deciding which members fit their image.  Last year, overweight and non-white members of Depauw University's Delta Zeta sorority chapter were asked to leave.

Interestingly, the paper did not include in this article (teased on the front page of the national print edition we get in Cleveland) the fact that DePauw ranks in the top 5 universities in the country on various measures of quality and quantity of Greek life.  That seems like pretty lazy reporting.

Al Gore To Announce Prez Bid at the Academy Awards?

One good thing to come out of Albert announcing on Sunday night would be that it might just overshadow the mauling he gave poor Tipper at the 2000 Democratic Convention.

Jesus Camp

I watched Jesus Camp this week.  It's a documentary primarily about three children who attend an Evangelical Christian summer camp in Devils Lake, North Dakota.

The movie had me torn in two from beginning to end.   While not as overtly hostile and patronizing to its subject like a Michael Moore film, one has a pretty good idea of what was behind some of the editorial decisions.  On the other hand,  these families seemed so genuine in their faith.  They were making no excuses or bluffs about where they were coming from.

It's easy and fashionable these days to demonize the Christian right in a way that would not be acceptable if the subject matter became homosexuals, stressed-out single parents, inner-city blacks or conservative Jews.    From this premise, I suspect that Oscar may go home with the directors tomorrow night.

In my opinion, you'll get a much more even-handed treatment of the movement out of Alexandra Pelosi's Friends of God, which was recently released by HBO films.  Just as she did in Journeys with George, the daughter of Madame Speaker has such a clever "gee whiz" way of introducing us to this segment of our society that I can't walk away from the screen.

Political Muckraking, Chicago Style!

The lone Republican in Chicago's City Hall, Brian Doherty is getting embarassed in Chicago.

Last night, WGN ran this item where folks who apparently don't care too much for the 41st Ward Alderman spotted him out on the town appearing to be drinking and driving.

It's hard to talk about this without mentioning the Earl Butz episode....another politician who was not treated well by electronic media!

Kiran Chetry Moves to the Less-Dark Side

I was very pleased last night to scan channels and see a familar face on a new channel.

Kiran Chetry left her usual weekend morning slot at FNS to do some evening work at CNN.

More Horse's Asses than there are Horses

The poor mountain climbers have been having a hell of a year, it seems.

Now, state lawmakers in Oregon want to require them to carry little tracking devices everytime they go up there so we don't waste even more money looking for these bozos when they get lost.

My heart goes out to families who lose a loved one in this fashion and I can in no way compete with the athleticism of folks who engage in this leisure activity. But we have to remember that this is still a choice-driven sport these people are participating in. They're not out getting lost on a mountain while searching for food for the family.

Make them waive or take out insurance on the recovery costs.

Selah.

Sirius and XM to Merge!

Thank god, I will now be able to get Howard and C-SPAN in the same place again.


The New York Post has a tease up.

Appropriate Acronym

From our friends, the Iraqis. The newest way to get their house in order is known as Operation Imposing Law.

Nod to On the Media for noting this.

Who's your commander-in-chief

I almost wish I had never read this op-ed a few weeks ago.  Now, everytime I hear someone refer to the President of the United States (whether former, current or future)  as "Our Commander in Chief," my skin does start to crawl a little bit.

For those too paranoid to register at NYT or not as interested as I was, the gist of it is that POTUS is the commander-in-chief of the military, but the way this term is often used, it seems that some people think that he's everyone's commander-in-chief and that it confers some kind of godlike authority to him/her.

Until the President looks like Geena Davis, I'm not exactly ready to start standing at attention.

The Daytona 500...Who Gives a Crap

Ugh, the news networks are full of news about the Daytona 500, which takes place below the Mason-Dixon line today.

I enjoy World Cup soccer, so I have just about as much license to mock this "sport" as a Catholic has to tell a Mormon that his religion is built on a foundation of unverifiable fables.

That said, I will probably shovel the snow, watch a movie and catch up some work before tomorrow.

This is really cool.






I wish I could dance like this

This weekend in Washington

This week, the Democrat-controlled Congress attempted to push through a non-binding resolution expressing disapproval with the President's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq.  
The plan ultimately failed in the Senate during a rare Saturday session.

While I agree that GeeDub continues to behave like a depraved gambler who's been spilling the kids' First Communion money into the same slot machine for the whole President's Day weekend at the Fremont with only bloodshot eyes and the skanky whore on his arm to show for it, their position doesn't pass the stink test.

Shame on the media for not holding the feet of people like New York's junior Senator to the fire. When she says that her real problem is that President Bush went into Iraq rather than the bluff-card she believes she gave him then she should have been screaming bloody murder from the moment we started to march into Iraq almost 4 years ago...not waiting until the current situation provided her with enough political cover to disingenously co-opt the position of true believers like Dennis Kucinich and Barbara Lee.

One has to wonder what kind of evil man would teach her a trick like this?

While the real showdown may yet come about this spring, this week's events were little more than a charade.

Amazingly, Austrian artist Gustav Klimt predicted this act by the Congress almost a century ago!