Hollywood Shows Its…Well, You Know

The Oscars were exactly what you’d expect - a bunch of insanely rich people dressing up in fancy clothes, and getting together to brag about themselves. The whole debacle was hosted by Chris Rock, who furthers racial stereotypes every time he opens his mouth. LaShawn Barber wondered aloud, “They couldn’t find a dignified black person, one who exuded grace and charm, for the occasion?” Then again, it seems like the only things that “exude” at the Oscars are body parts - another fact not lost on Chris Rock, as he introduced Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek as “our next four presenters”.

“Sit your asses down!”

With those four words, comedian Chris Rock brought a new tone to the Oscars that network executives and sponsors of the Academy Awards hope will lure back a bigger, younger TV audience to Hollywood’s biggest night.

“A bigger, younger TV audience”. In other words, a whole new generation of kids they can infest with a distinct lack of class and morality. A whole new group of people to buy into the idea that actors should be respected and listened to on all matters simply because for 2 hours they can make you believe they’re someone else. A bigger group of youth to mold and shape into arrogant, narcisisstic, clueless morons that believe anything over size 2 is fat, it’s cool to hate Bush, and that personal responsibility is an archaic notion that has gone the way of the silent film.

It’s times like these that I really miss people like Audrey Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.

Hat Tip: Captain’s Quarters, LaShawn Barber

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“At Least As Good As I Was”

The AP reports that former President Bill Clinton would support a run for the White House by his helmet-haired attack dog wife Hillary. In fact, Slick Willy paid her the highest compliment his mind could apparently fathom:

“If she did run and she was able to win, she’d make a very, very good president,” Clinton said Sunday. “I think now she’s at least as good as I was.”

Wow, Bill. You mean, we could look forward to 4-8 years of sexual misconduct, conniving, corrupt dealings…? No thanks. Been there, done that. I’m all set.

Hat Tip: GOP Bloggers

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From Russia With…Well, Whatever

Apparently Vladimir Putin is a bit hazy on how things work here in the U.S., and made a comment to President Bush about “when you fired those CBS journalists”. Someone should really tell him about something called the First Amendment. [That being said, however, can you imagine an America with no MSM? Be still, my heart!]

Oh, wait. Sunnye, over at GOPInsight, already did.

…We have people here called “bloggers,” who tend to check the facts reported by our news media since we’ve had uncomfortable surprises from newspaper, magazine and TV reporting sources before.

Bloggers tend to be very, very careful about what they print. We have to be. We are responsible for what we write and our reputations depend on accuracy. We don’t have big money conglomerations to say they “stand behind” us like professional reporters do. So we check things pretty carefully.

When CBS news and Dan Rather reported lies and insisted on calling them “truth,” Internet bloggers just didn’t let them get away with it.

It wasn’t the government that fired CBSs staff — it was the People, exercising their freedom of speech through the resources of Internet blogging.

Vlady, m’dear — I don’t think you have the courage to allow that kind of thing in Russia. You might not have a job long if you did.

But we have a long and proud heritage of it here. It’s one of the ways we stay free.

Amen.

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Who’s the Real Drain?

Mark Noonan is one of my favorite writers in the blogosphere. He recently returned from a trip to LA, and had some truly thought-provoking observations.

What strikes you about Downtown LA is that there are three types of people, broadly speaking, to be met down there - the people selling are invariably foreign; a lot of them are citizens, but all of them hail from somewhere else. Foreigners are the sellers - the buyers are a mix of native-born Americans and additional foreigners; the panhandlers, however, are the third class of people - and they are 100% American. The contrast was striking - here were foreigners working their tails off to get ahead and there on every other street corner was another American begging for change. It must never have occured to these bums that the way out of poverty was all around them. I doubt much that the vendors on those streets arrived with large stashes of start-up capital.

You could see the progression in the retailors…the new arrivals were wandering the streets with as many items as they could carry for sale. The next step was a small booth in one of the alleys off the main street. After that, it was a small store on the more poorly kept main streets, the final step being a large store on the main streets which were best maintained. We have a large underclass in our country, but its not because they lack opportunity - they just lack the will to work like these immigrants do; 7 days a week, 12 hours a day - no vacations, likely no health insurance at least at the start; probably live in the worst areas of town, too. If everyone in America had that kind of spirit, we’d have no underclass - and if everyone who complains about immigration would go down and see these wonderful to-be and new Americans, they’d rethink their views.

I remember working for Wells Fargo a few years ago as a banker in one of the corporate buildings. One of the people on the night cleaning crew was a Russian man in his 60’s. He was very friendly, spoke broken English, and was very fastidious about his work. A few of us asked him one day where he was from, and since one of the guys on my team spoke basic Russian, we got quite a conversation going. Turns out, Nikolai was a “child doctor” - a pediatrician. And here he is, emptying my trash 5 days a week for minimum wage. I couldn’t help but ask him why he’d be willing to empty trash here, and be looked down upon by others, when he obviously had enjoyed a much higher standing in his own country. He laughed and said, “It is not for American vodka!”

Seriously, though - who is more of a drain on society? Foreign nationals who come to this country and work their butts off, doing jobs that the average low-income American would turn their nose up at? Or citizen-born Americans who lay around for years on SSI for disabilities they don’t have, collecting welfare for children they don’t want and do a poor job raising?

Is it those who come here looking for freedom and liberty? Or is it the ones who’ve been here their whole lives and have no idea what that means?

It’s pretty sad when we see our own college students, fat on the pseudo-intellectualism fed to them by revisionists and bleeding hearts; calling for “revolutions” and blaming the country of their birth for 9/11; and yet in the same breath we see U.S. soldiers who were born elsewhere, so proud to be here and be a part of our America that they’re willing to enlist and give their lives in her service.

About 150 years ago, my ancestors got off ships from places like Germany, Norway, Ireland, and Holland. They all wanted a better life. They came here, worked hard, sacrificed, did alright, and raised families that were free to believe, think, and speak as they wished. Isn’t that what the American Dream is?

Then again, maybe that’s only true for those who don’t already live here.

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Churchill’s A Thief, Too

Ward Churchill is a busy man. Between his classes as a professor at the University of Colorado, he has somehow found time to steal original artwork and claim it as his own, lie about his heritage, defend terrorism, and even school others on how to conduct acts of terrorism.

I really wish someone in Colorado would wake up and fire this guy.

Hat Tip: GOPBloggers

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…And The Plot Thickens

Since 1998, Sixth Judicial Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer has been handing down rulings in the Terri Schiavo case, and each one has seemed more ludicrous and inhumane than the last. Bernie McCabe, state attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit of Pasco and Pinellas Counties in Florida, has repeatedly refused to investigate claims of abuse by Michael Schiavo, claiming the matter is “already before the court”. Former Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice, now representing District 54 in Florida’s House of Representatives, has also ignored any attempts at justice by Terri’s family. All three of these men are good personal friends.

Turns out they’re involved in a lot more than previously thought.

The Empire Journal reports that McCabe and Rice both appeared in television commercials endorsing Judge Greer for re-election in 2004, even using a sheriff’s patrol car in the commercial.

In a 30-second television spot first aired in mid-August on the FoxTV affiliate serving Pinellas and Pasco Counties as well as BayNews9, Greer is shown in a courtroom setting in the Pinellas County Building with appearances by James Hellickson, assistant state attorney; and Paula Shea, assistant state public defender.

Also appearing in the political advertisement endorsing the reelection of Greer is a uniformed officer of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, a sheriff’s patrol car and several attorneys.

However, state law prohibits the use of governmental buildings for political purposes nor can any candidate use the service of any state officer or employee during working hours. Both Hellickson and Shea are state employees. Filming a TV commercial for political purposes inside the Pinellas County building is prohibited, especially the use of the courtroom, according to law and judicial ethics opinions issued by the Florida Supreme Court.

Additionally, state law prohibits the political activity of state, county and municipal officers and employees for the purpose of influencing an election. It would appear that by appearing in the TV spot advocating Greer’s reelection, both Hellickson and Shea are lending the influence of their state positions for political purposes during working hours and in a governmental building.

How does this affect Terri Schiavo? The Journal explains:

In that it appears that McCabe and Hellickson as state officers may have violated state law prohibiting political activity in addition to well as several county officers, sufficient cause exists for Gov. Jeb Bush to ask the Florida Supreme Court to empanel a grand jury to look into what appears to be gross violations of state election and campaign financing law in Greer’s campaign.

I find it rather interesting that the more pressure we as a nation put on these people, the more corruption is uncovered; the more insidious this situation is. There is no way anyone can consider this a “right to die” case. Even newspaper columnists previously in agreement with ending Terri’s life are no longer so quick to believe Michael’s Schiavo’s act of gallant husband [registration required].

This may be the exact thing that Gov. Bush needs to step in and help Terri. I have faith that the longer we can keep Terri alive, the more chance we have at exposing the entire conspiracy to flat-out murder an innocent woman. Don’t let the Florida “good old boys” keep their crimes under wraps. Let’s expose them for the slime they are.

Hat Tip: GOPInsight

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Why Bush Rocks, part 187638

Jay Nordlinger of the National Review had an excellent Impromptus yesterday. It’s worth reading all the way through, but I present you with some little bits and pieces.

Can I grin over the president, just a little — even though the topic is quite serious (a nuclear Iran)? In Brussels, he said, “This notion that the United States is getting ready to attack Iran is simply ridiculous. Having said that, all options are on the table.”

I can’t tell you how much I love that — it’s better than “Now watch this drive.” President Bush has almost zero patience for boilerplate, even though he repeats it (as he must). And he just can’t help showing his impatience.

Also, I tend to like it when Bush is snippy. Remember when Gore said to him, over the phone on Election Night 2000, “You don’t have to get snippy with me”? I’d bet a million dollars that Bush was, in fact, snippy.

In Brussels, he said, essentially, “We don’t think we have to take out your nukes right this second. But, you know? We may.”

I wanted to take note of a couple of things in Bush’s big Feb. 21 speech. Did you catch that opening joke? I thought it was enormously shrewd.

You know, on this journey to Europe, I follow in some large footsteps. More than two centuries ago, Benjamin Franklin arrived on this continent to great acclaim. An observer wrote, “His reputation was more universal than Liebniz or Newton, Frederick or Voltaire, and his character more beloved and esteemed than any or all of them.” The observer went on to say, ‘There was scarcely a peasant or citizen who did not consider him as a friend to humankind.’

I’ve been hoping for a similar reception. But Secretary Rice told me I should be a realist.”

[...]

Said Bush, “After many false starts and dashed hopes and stolen lives, a settlement of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is now within reach.” I was taken with that phrase, “stolen lives.”

I interpreted what follows as a rebuke — a polite, semi-disguised rebuke — to certain Euros. See if you agree:

“Together, we must make clear to the Iraqi people that the world is . . . with them, because they have certainly shown their character to the world.

An Iraqi man who lost a leg in a car bombing last year made sure he was there to vote on January the 30th. He said, “I would have crawled here if I had to. I don’t want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me. Today, I’m voting for peace.”

Every vote cast in Iraq was an act of defiance against terror. And the Iraqi people have earned our respect.

Some Europeans joined the fight to liberate Iraq, while others did not. Yet all of us recognize courage when we see it. And we saw it in the Iraqi people.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Hat Tip: Powerline

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Can We Get Some Justice Around Here?

The BBC reports that the unnamed Marine who was charged after shooting a wounded insurgent may not be charged. Good news. Problem is, no word on whether they’ll put Kevin Sites, the loser who turned the [out-of-context] videotape over to Al-Jazeera, in front of a firing squad. Somehow I think I’ll be waiting a while to hear that part of it. I can dream, though.

Hat Tip: BlogsForBush

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Moonbats Need Lovin’ Too

I have risen from a Theraflu-induced haze to bring you a gem from the Democratic Underground. This, of course, is in reference to the Democrats’ new poster boy for paranoia, Congressman Hinchey. You may remember him as the one who has somehow established a mindlink to Karl Rove using his Jedi mind tricks. If only Hinchey could use his powers for good instead of evil.

The lunatics over at DU have posted a plea for all loyal moonbats to call Hinchey’s office and support him from these “hoards of flying monkeys from the Dark Side.” I’m still waiting to see who gets to speak the line “I am your faaahther.”

…it just occurred to me that you can send this guy hugs, so to speak, by sending him your support. It sounded as though he coulda used it when I called his office. At least, from talking to his staffer. The staffer, too, sounded like HE could have used a hug or two at the moment.

Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs

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Florida DCF Seeks 60 Days

The AP reports that Florida social services are requesting a 60-day extension for Terri Schiavo’s life while they investigate claims of mistreatment and abuse.

In an 11-page confidential document detailing why it wants to intervene in the case, the Department of Children & Families said it needs time to investigate allegations of mistreatment of the 41-year-old woman at the center of a life-or-death legal battle between her husband and parents.

…[Attorney for the Schindler family] Davis said the document appears to echo complaints made publicly by the Schindlers that their daughter has not had adequate therapy and medical care and has been deprived of other rights by her husband.

Currently, Judge Greer is set to rule on the case Friday at 1700 EST, which is the 15th anniversary of Terri’s injuries.

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It’s About Time.

From BlogsforTerri.com:

A judge today extended a stay keeping brain-damaged Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube in place, saying he needed time to decide whether her husband, who wants to let her die, is fit to be her guardian.

Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer extended until Friday an emergency stay that was to expire this afternoon. He said he also needs more time to determine whether Terri Schiavo needs more medical tests to determine if she has greater mental capabilities than previously thought.

The article goes on to say that the Florida Department of Children and Families intervened today as well, filing a brief with the court that, according to attorneys for both sides, addresses allegations that Michael Schiavo abused his wife, and therefore may not be the greatest person to be having final say over his wife’s care.

In other words, finally someone is paying attention. Let’s keep the pressure on, and hope that 48 hours turns into a life that’s lived instead of ended by a would-be murdering, adulterous husband.

Hat Tip: GOPInsight, who is following this case amazingly well. Kudos to you, Sunnye.

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Homecoming.

In personal news, my fiance, a Marine Security Guard at the American Embassy in Thailand, is getting on a plane tomorrow to come home, after 2 years away from me, and 5 years overseas total.

I am so proud of him, and of everyone who is serving away from their wives, girlfriends, and children. Thank you for being who you are, and for doing a job that so many are unwilling to do. Your sacrifice, your sense of honor and duty, and your devotion to our country is what has made us great. I am proud to say I was once one of you.

Welcome home, my beloved Marine.

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Jane Doe and the Gangrape

You may or may not have heard of the Greg Haidl gangrape trial, in which Haidl and his co-defendents gave a 16-year-old girl at a party beer, marijuana and 8.5 ounces of pure Bombay Gin. Even after her attempts to foist off their advances, once she passed out, she finally was tossed onto a pool table, then raped and sodomized with a variety of objects, including a pool cue, Snapple bottle, juice can and lit cigarette. The even sicker thing is, they filmed it all.

These disgusting, pathetic excuses for humans got a hung jury on their first trial due to the machinations of their defense attorney, who lowered himself to the level of his clients by stating things like this:

…Jane Doe…caused her own “disgusting, filthy, trashy” sexual encounter. “The boys did what they did . . . because of who Jane Doe was,” Cavallo told jurors. “She had discovered sex and the power of sex.”

And so we have yet another example of the age-old “she was asking for it” defense. You’d think it’d get old. Granted, Jane Doe needs to think about the danger in allowing a bunch of boys to get her drunk and high. Yes, she admits to engaging in sex with all three defendants the night before. She admits to a lot of things: drug use, alcohol, etc. She even commented “Look, I’m a porn star” upon viewing the videotape later. [That sounds like sarcasm to me, but I have no idea how the remark was meant.]

The point is not “Was Jane Doe a slut?”. It is not “Does Jane have it coming? Was she dressed properly? Did she give these boys mixed signals?” None of that excuses what happened. The point is, there is a videotape depicting a 16-year-old girl being gangraped while she is unconscious, without her explicit consent for that particular incident. That is the issue. Nothing more.

Hat tip: My favorite Navy SEAL, Matthew Heidt over at Froggy Ruminations.

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Three Words That Shouldn’t Be Together:

Public, dining, and naked. A restuarant in New York offers the monthly “Clothing Optional Dinner“, where restaurant patrons can come and eat in the buff, at a buffet. [My lame word usage will stop soon, I promise.]

“It’s exciting to be in a restaurant nude,” said George Keyes, 65, a retired junior high school English teacher.

Thanks for sharing, O teacher of our children.

There are so many gems in this article it’s hard to pick one. For instance, the mention of “no hot soup on the menu”. After all, there’s nothing worse than spilling hot soup in your lap when at a nudist dinner. Also, diners must bring something to sit on. Thank God they specified that - I’d hate to be sitting at that restaurant during the rest of the month, wondering whose “black leather genital bracelet”-adorned Kibbles ‘n’ Bits were previously on my chair.

Sandy, a slim woman in her 40s, said she never felt self-conscious about her body and was comfortable dining in the nude. But she did admit to being a bit more nervous before a recent naked yoga class attended by around 25 people.

“Everyone was a little concerned there would be people looking around but the good thing is nobody really was,” she said, standing at the restaurant’s bar before dinner.

Naked yoga. Now that is an image I didn’t need. However, I could have explained to Sandy why there’s not a whole lot of looking around during nude yoga class.

John Ordover set up the dining club about a year ago, recruiting members through word of mouth and the Internet.

“Next month is our Easter bonnet event, where everybody has to come wearing an Easter bonnet,” said Ordover, a heavyset man with a jovial smile and glasses.

Right-o.

Hat tip: Evangelical Outpost

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Pot-Flavored Candy. No, Really.

You know, I firmly believe in creation science. However, when I read things like this, I wonder if maybe evolution is true, and someone got a bit stuck a few prototypes back.

As if the drug problem in the U.S. isn’t bad enough, they now have Chronic Candy - pot-flavored lollipops and candy. It’s imported from Switzerland (what - are the Swiss tired of making knives and chocolate?), and makers say there is no THC in it, which of course means it’s A-OK.

So, of course we should all market it to our children, right? Here’s a great tagline: “Get the High Without the Hassle”. Or how about “Buzz Without the Bulls**t”? Wait, wait… “Toke Without the Smoke”.

I better quit before I get on a roll. To be honest, I’m laughing, but I’m annoyed, too. If I need to explain to you why, then you’ve missed the point, and need to stop eating the product in question.

And just in case you’re asking yourself, “What kind of idiot would make pot-flavored candy?”…

Antonio Montana is the mastermind behind Chronic Candy. He decided to make the candy for a couple of reasons.

“One because I wanted to do something that nobody else in the world would be crazy enough to do. Another reason is ’cause I love pot. Also because I wanted to be self-employed,” Montana said.

And there you have it: Inspirational words from a successful businessman. Someday I hope to be that cool. Anyway, figure out the answer to the question yet? What kind of idiot makes pot-flavored candy? Yup, you guessed it.

A pothead.

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin

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