Parr For The Coarse

2006-05-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

dssdfsdfsdfsdfsdf

Starting Back Softly

2006-04-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Medved makes a great case here in that rag known for accompanying cheap continental breakfasts at cheaper hotels, but it has some good insights.

In our bitterly polarized society, liberals and conservatives not only argue over the right approaches for public policy but also do battle over which ideology more reliably produces private happiness. The left recently embraced an academic study that says right-wingers were whiny kids who grew into insecure adults, while conservatives trumpeted surveys showing that it's self-identified liberals who count as self-pitying and pessimistic.

Who's winning 'Happiness Wars'?

Lordy, Lordy . . . . .I'M BACK

2006-04-28T12:05:00.000-07:00

Has it been that long?

Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

2006-01-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

WOW, THAT'S SHOCKING. YOU MEAN, WE HAVE BIASES THAT CONTROL THE WAY WE THINK? THAT'S OUTSTANDING.

Though it kind of brings up an old joke in my mind, say starting with, how many Berkley scientists does it take to . . . . . .(state the obvious)

Without going into too much detail about this preposterous story, however, does anyone want to take a look and maybe point out just one fo its ridiculous aspects.

big dumb jackass

2006-01-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

god, how i love ted rall. he reminds me fondly of the hours and dollars i wasted in an "elite" ivy grad school. i do miss my colleagues the most. watching them wax hither and thither on all sorts of subjuects, viewing some thing in reality and wondering if it would work in theory. what most amuses me though, and rall is the greatest exponent of this technique, is the liberal's insistence on categorizing a certain type of behavior as rotten and then blithely acting in the same way. for example, "there is no such thing as a conservative intellectual". he proclaims from on high a magnificent commandment, ostensibly noting that conservatives are of closed mind, not thoughtful, and incapable of discerning truth through theory. however, it is exactly this type of dogmatic thinking that he condemsn with such a statement. certainly, the hypocrisy should be easy for the effete to see, and i suspect it is. however, liberals give themselves a pass, because they fight for the righteous commandments of the liberal way - - inclusiveness, equality, redistribution . . . yadda yadda. yet, when rall speaks of the traditions of small l liberalism, he neglects to accurately describe what that actually means. it is in now way inherently progressive, as he claims, but rest on the merits of plurality. that all ideas compete openly. might it be that conservative ideas fall into that pantheon. of course they do, but rall wants them eliminated from academic debate. because, like so many other bottom feeders, he wants to prey on the young and impressionable, knowing full well that most of his ideas are without merit and will poorly penetrate the keen minds of those with experience. the pussy's not bad either.

THE MOST INTELLIGENT THING EVER SAID

2006-01-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

People serious about reducing the role of money in politics should be serious about reducing the role of politics in distributing money

Cockalorum . . . .

2006-01-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

1.A little man with an unduly high opinion of himself.
2.Boastful talk; braggadocio.

for context read this . . .DON'T TRUST SOLDIERS UNDER 30

"Congress ought to raise the minimum age of military service to at least 30. Not only do older recruits make better soldiers--ask any officer--they'll be more realistic veterans after the fighting ends."

Cowardice??? Probably . . .

But, it may just be a simple god complex. That's indicative of an IVY LEAGUE pedigree, right? I mean, I saw it quite a bit during my tenure. I am glad it didn't take. This author also displays another strange tendency characteristic of IL "geniuses" . . . ignoring the obvious, mistating the genuous, and embracing the tenuous, as long as it results in the desired theoretical outcome.

I am sure our friend here is in wonderful shape after decades of abstaining from meat products, devouring wheat grass shakes, and lifting heavy mirrors to enjoy his own glorious visage, but a simple fact of life for most of us is that we are in our best shape in our late teens and early twenties. Ever notice you don't see a lot of 30 year old ball players? That's because their bodies can't heal properly anymore. It may be possible that combat is as strenuous as basketball or tennis.How wonderful he is to give us some insight on his mind.

How he longed to be a big fish in a little pond. However, as is often the case with such cockalorums, he failed to see beyond his own naivete. Had he enlisted with the grunts, he would soon have found that there is another pool of candidates that the armed services choose from. In fact, the line is quite long to enter the service academies and it is doubtful that he would have passed their rigorous criteria. Indeed, his AFQT was like a, well an ivy league engineer applyint to Microsoft through the mail room. I wonder if he would be so bold to disparage the many common Americans who ssek work through the mail room.

But, let me not criticize so much. Let's all just marvel at his wit and cunning. That part where he discovered in the "hidden text" of his enlistment contract that the army could send him anywhere . . . . that was just sheer brilliance. Imagine all of the other dopes that signed up thinking the Army was only stationed in Peoria. This author sure wasn't one of "the idiots" that day.

So, Bravo, Bravo to you, my cowardly friend. And your bs lies. I am sure you have sat at night, whatever of your little manhood in hand, dreaming that someone that you were the most brilliant person they had ever met, and also oh so brave and cunning. I just hope that someday, when that little spot on your sheets dries, you can come down to earth and see what life could truly mean by following the examples of those "idiot" kids who will someday have extraordinary tales to tell, rather than griping twenty years later that they "could've been" - - -Ivy League degree, cubicles, personalized coffee mugs and all.

Sentimentality, Wasted

2006-01-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

In a monumental tribute to bad taste and the exploitation of a parent's tragic misunderstanding, the Washington Post has outdone itself with this opinion today, "A Life, Wasted".

The piece was written by Paul Schroeder managing director of a trade development firm in Cleveland, and the unfortunate father of a slain U.S. Marine, Lance Corporal Edward "Augie" Schroeder II. Certainly Mr, Schroeder's loss tugs at the heart strings of most of us; Americans, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. And his involvement, as the Post presents it, as a begrieved and concerned average American father, seems legitimate enough. Unless, of course, you know what the Post should tell you, but rarely ever does in their daily maelstrom of contempt for the Bush administration.

Paul Schroeder is no average American, at least in the sense that most average Americans would consider themselves average, which is not necessarily what the Post associates with average. He was, in fact, Ohio's first trade liaison to China, serving at the behest of former Governor Richard Celeste, who was famous for being appointed as the Director of the Peace Corps by Jimmy Carter, becoming embroiled in his father's fraudulent bankruptcy declaration, nearly being indicted with a great many of his political appointees, and approving his wife's "informal" judicial litmus test, demanding that any judge appointed must be in favor of abortion on demand. (For all this, he was later appointed by Bill Clinton as ambassador to India.)

Mr. Schroeder's life's work and major passion, China, undoubtedly often put him at odds with many policies of the Bush administration. It is no wonder that the loss of his child would further exacerbate any animosity and lead to the heart-felt and well-intentioned, if not well thought out condemnation of the war in Iraq.

Indeed, Mr. Schroeder is bitter and angry, as he should be. The fault does not lie in his grief, but in the Post's contemptuous exploitation of it. Even if we pardon their deception in passing Mr. Schroeder off as an unbiased man, far from the realm of politics, noble in his grief, how can we pardon the publication of Mr Schroeder's assertions, made in the deepest throngs of devout sadness, which come across as immutable laws of physics yet derive from nothing more than mere opinion:

Though it hurts, I believe that his death -- and that of the other Americans who have died in Iraq -- was a waste. They were wasted in a belief that democracy would grow simply by removing a dictator -- a careless misunderstanding of what democracy requires. They were wasted by not sending enough troops to do the job needed in the resulting occupation -- a careless disregard for professional military counsel.

Once again, the Post has handed us emotive speculation when we need facts and perspective. All war is hard. All wars create death. In every war since the beginning of time, commanders and soldiers in the field have groused about a lack of men, materials, and ammunition. Patton was famous for it in WWII, but it didn't stop him from plowing across Europe and it hasn't stopped our recent military success in Iraq. That is not to disregard the personal scarifices of the fallen and their families, but in context, and with perspective, Iraq has been far less lethal than any previous war.

Again, the restoration of Europe to political order and the creation of democracy in Japan was not an easy task. Many young Americans persihed on far away shores after the the greatest military conflicts had subsided. But the job still got done even as papers like the Post lamented the "exorbinant" costs and claimed the Marshall Plan would never succeed.

I wish my guidance counselor had just leveled with me . . .

2005-12-23T14:35:00.000-08:00

thanks colleen

Lassiter in OUTER SPACE

2005-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, I thought my delusions of grandeur were profound, but this guy Lassiter is way out there.

2005-12-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the Desk of Nancy Pelosi!

2005-12-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions ofothers, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all, and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006,but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "America" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. Accordingly, this wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual and generally accepted application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first. Warranty is limited to replacement of this wishor issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

NOT VALID IN PUERTO RICO OR GUAM

A Tale of Two Robertsons . . . .

2005-12-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

But really just one.

A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources. In a move reminiscent of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, and his 10 Commandments stand in Montgomery, U.S. District Judge James Robertson, one of 11 members of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court turned in his walking papers. Hoping to further fuel a nascent political debacle, Robertson, not to be confused with the Chief Justice of either Alabama or the U.S., played the coy boy when asked about the reasons for his resignation. Allegedly, a crack team of Democratic strategists, including Martin Sheen and Michael Moore, are locked deep beneath secret ACLU headquarters in Islamabad, crafting a speech for the former FISA judge to give at his moveon.org coronation later this spring, at the event formerly known as the Academy Awards. An unidentified Robertson' spokesperson admitted that the judge is looking forward to a brief swell of adulation followed by a precipitous fall into anonymity.

The Nation, It Really is That Obtuse

2005-12-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

This is a first for me. After being highly amused at this rant from The Nation, I actually found some sober, well thought out commentary in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After the hysteria disperses, there will be a better Iraq

Victor Davis Hanson
is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution

'I implore you to inaugurate or invite proposals for peace forthwith. And in case peace cannot now be made, consent to an armistice for one year."
What unpopular war was that?
And does the following gloom about American military prospects also sound familiar? "Unless some positive and immediate action is taken, hope for success cannot be justified... final destruction can reasonably be contemplated."
The first throw-in-the-towel remark, however, did not come from Howard Dean or U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D., Pa.) - but from Horace Greeley about the Civil War during the depressing summer of 1864. And the second quote is Douglas MacArthur's bleak assessment not long after the Chinese Red Army crossed the Yalu River in the autumn of 1950.
Similar despair could be recalled from the winter of 1776 or the early months of 1942 following Pearl Harbor and the Allies' loss of the Philippines and Singapore.
America has not fought a war when at some point the news from the battlefield did not evoke a frenzy of recriminations.
After the carnage of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg in 1864, the conventional wisdom about the Civil War was that the bumbling Abraham Lincoln could never win reelection. Instead, all summer the veteran Gen. George McClellan assured the Northern populace that there was no hope of military victory.
In November 1950, after Americans were sent scurrying southward by the Chinese, most pundits wrote off Korea as lost - before the unexpected counteroffensives of Gen. Matthew Ridgeway saved the Seoul government by the next spring.
We can derive three historical lessons relevant to our present finger-pointing over Iraq.
First, hysteria arises at home in almost all our wars. We almost forgot that after the miraculous, but atypically quick victories in Panama, the first Gulf War, Serbia, Afghanistan and the three-week toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Instead, Thomas Paine's labeling those who bailed on George Washington in December 1776 as "sunshine patriots" and acrimony over a completely surprised Navy at Pearl Harbor are more indicative of what occurs during American conflicts.
Lincoln was often cartooned as an ungainly ape. During the hysterics over the Korean War, George Marshall - who earlier oversaw the U.S. military victory of World War II and aid to a postwar starving Europe - was called a "front man for traitors" and "a living lie" by Indiana Sen. William Jenner.
In this context, Howard Dean's assertion that the present war is unwinnable or John Kerry's claim that our troops are engaging in terrorizing Iraqis is hardly novel. Second, there is also no necessary connection between occasionally terrible news and the final outcome of the war. The near-fatal losses of the Army of the Potomac in 1864, the advances of the Kaiser's armies in the 1918 German offensive, or the carnage on Okinawa in May and June 1945 nevertheless all presaged our own victory not much later.
Third, American history is far kinder to those who persevered than those who alleged that their country's victory was impossible. Most today revere Lincoln and Marshall, along with Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, who weathered unimaginable slurs. A Gen. McClellan or Sen. Jenner - who opportunistically piled on when news from the front was bad - was mostly forgotten when things inevitably improved.
The same will probably be true of Iraq. Last week's election will prove the most successful yet. The Iraqi army gets bigger - and better. The Pentagon now does not fret over the need for more American troops, but agrees that evolving events on the ground will allow measured withdrawal.
Attacks by insurgents have been growing less frequent since October, according to Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq. Democracy, not al-Qaeda, is the new buzz on Arab streets. Seventy-one percent of the Iraqis in a recent ABC/Time magazine poll "say that their own lives are going well" now. The fatwas of Ayman Al-Zawahiri sound ever more desperate and shrill.
In response to all this, sober leaders of the Democratic Party will soon politely tune out the John Murthas and Nancy Pelosis. Expect the erratic copperhead Howard Dean to quietly, but prematurely, leave the chairmanship of the Democratic Party. Perennial gloom-and-doomers such as Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) who see our efforts through the prism of Vietnam won't again be nominated for president.
Some Americans cannot see any of this yet, since we are still in our own summer of 1864. But as the conditions in Iraq improve, and comparisons to our sole loss in Vietnam ring hollow, expect critics to grow silent. And savvy fence-sitters such as Hillary Clinton will begin to preen, rather than express ambivalence, over past votes to remove Saddam.
The blame game is not unusual on the impatient home front during American wars - and is soon mostly forgotten after we finally win. Iraq is, and will be, no exception.

Don't Worry About the Flag, Burn Hillary's Bill

2005-12-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

Don't let the real brains of the Clinton family fool you again by outlawing flag burning. She equivocated her way to a Senate seat and now she's trying for the big one. Flag burning is a great issue for her. 70 per cent of Americans would agree with a bill outlawing the practice. Hillary can appear a good patriot and accomplish what she truly loves, a larger more intrusive centralized government. Keep in mind, her bill would only outlaw flag burning intended to "intimidate any person or group of persons". Does that language ever sound familiar. Hillary gets a shiny red button on her big blue suit and the Jack-Booted PC Police get another strong link in the sensitivity chain that is slowly strangling the life out of the great American individual.

So, if you see someone burn a flag, don't call your representative, buck up, walk up, and smack him right in the mouth. Chances are 7 out of your ten jurors will understand.

You mean ANWR isn't the name of a town?

2005-12-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

"For some people, environmentalism is collectivism in drag. Such people use environmental causes and rhetoric not to change the political climate for the purpose of environmental improvement. Rather, for them, changing the society's politics is the end, and environmental policies are mere means to that end."

This is a must read for all.

Wing Bowl Redux . . . .

2005-12-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

thanks for the Wing Bowl photo MikeZornek.com

and it still sucks.

Because I have seen a few blogs linking to my previous Wing Bowl rant, it would only be just for me to rectify my incomplete sermon. I did fail to mention the new contestant policy.

The new contestant policy, only new contestants may apply, is a ridiculous farce trumped by no other since the Dukakis campaign. How ridiculous is it that the legends of Wing Bowl have been cast asunder for a crop of unknowns? The Black Widow, whom I shielded with my very own coat last year as the beer rained down on her entrance, is out. Badlands Booker, out. Their replacements, a pathetic lot of has-been's and never-will-be's who can only qualify through depleted standards. True, Philly hated the BW because she whooped our asses and only weighs 32 pounds, but the villain made the story. This year there is no story-line. No compelling comebacks. No champion defending the crown. No heated rivalries. Nothing. Unless you count the Wingettes, but everyone knows those girls are little more than beer-goggle geishas, good from afar, but far from good.

My only hope is that the fury of Philadelphia hatred bubbles up and a crowd of maddened WB aficionados falls down upon the Wachovia Center with the vile contempt of rabid jackals, ripping the philistines responsible for this mess from their illegitimate thrones and stringing them up from the rafters, where we can all take turns pelting them with the vomit that is sure to ensue from the mealy mouths of their woefully inadequate contestants.

Ed Asner!!! The World Can't Wait . . . . .

2005-12-14T10:32:00.000-08:00

For you to shut the hell up.

I know you and Marty Sheen played really important men on TV, but in the real world, the rest of us are just tired of your Neiman-Marxist, bloated, haven't graduated from college or had a real job, communist sycophant, culture of victimization politics. In fact, you are so far removed from us by the good fortune of your chance meeting with fame, that often times, we can't even understand what in the blue blazes you are talking about.

Take, for example the full page spread you endorsed in the New York Times, equating Bush to Hitler, and our troops to the Mongols.

I know that you don't understand half of what the ad says, nor actually believe it. But the sad fact remains, that you are morons. And morons with enough money and fame can really cause a lot of damage.

Honestly, I love you both. I mean, come on, Rhoda . . . .what a show. And, Marty, well you gave us that time bomb Charlie and Emilio Estevez. Enough said. So, to help you both out, here are some talking points, based on the petition that you signed, that might help you understand.

SIGN THE CALL TO TAR AND FEATHER THE WORLD CAN'T WAIT

Your organization, on the basis of outrageous lies, is causing Ed Asner to look much more foolish than he actually is.

Your organization is openly torturing our ears and causing great pains to our digestive systems.

Your organization is confusing older hipsters by allowing the merest suspicion that pony tails and flannel shirts are still in vogue and sexy.

Your organization is each day moving toward an autocracy, based on denying any competing points of view through abusive shouting and poor oral hygiene, in a fashion that may have made Adolph Hitler blush.

Your organization makes a mockery of science by endorsing the author of "Holla' If Ya' Hear Me" as a bona fide social scientist.

Your organization is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to shave their armpits and wear matching lipstick.

Your organization enforces a culture of compulsory consensus, foolishness, reckless adherence to antiquated ideals of communistic authority, and a general disregard for the mental health and welfare of your own members.

People look at this and cannot believe that you somehow survived in a time warp to emerge in the present day, from the 1960's, and somehow emerged in the 1960's from time warp beginning in the 1860's. People are scared of this because it is unnatural and your ideas have already been disproved by the world's greatest century of conflict and progress.

Weaver Family! You Suck!

2005-12-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Honest Services Fraud?

2005-12-13T12:04:00.000-08:00

That's the charge and the verdict is . . . . . . Guilty!!!!!!!!!! Of course it's guilty, but at least the latest Street stooge, Leonard Ross, had the foresight to plead guilty, hoping for a reduced sentence. 18-33 months is the possibility of jail time, but it is unlikely he will even see that.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13398573.htm

Philadelphia Mayor John Street continues to claim ignorance of all the corruption surrounding him. Sure, he found an FBI wiretap in his office during a heated reelection campaign, but that only galvanized his support amongst Philly's wretched masses, catapulting him to a huge victory in a race that was very tight. And why not? Philly has been on a downward slide since WWII. At least, by electing yet another crook from a barbaric Democrat regime, the city insures consistency. Consistent poverty, filth, and an utter disregard for reason.

But, I digress, back to the swine that run the city. Street has now seen his two top advisers go down in flames. Ross was the second, pre-dated by long-time Street ally, Ronald White who at least had the courtesy to die during his trial, saving Street the embarrassment of testifying. However, there are many trials yet to go, with as many as a dozen more City Hall insiders to face the wrath of the Feds. Oddly enough, court time will probably lend further credence to the corrupt political maestros of America's first capital, but it should be a fun show. Here's hoping we can toast to John in the witness box soon, and who knows, maybe even the defendant's chair.

Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love . . .

2005-12-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

or, the City that was once, but may never be again.

Why you ask, my curious little friend. Because, Philly is, and ever will be, the little engine that couldn't. Not because, the mountain's too high or the valley too low, but because the conductor seems constantly on the take and the passengers all too willing to ride a steaming shit train into a monolith of corrupt mediocrity, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

And, even when it isn't outright graft that foils our intentions, it is the blessing of acute myopia and half-assed ambition that determines our course. I could spout a list of well-known stumbles on Philly's magnificent road to what could've been; how we constantly tear our own guts from an ever crumbling skeleton like a rusted scythe separating the chaff from the wheat, but I think one little example tells the tale.

What once was a glorious tribute to the common Philadelphia man, the new Wing Bowl is a testament to vainglorious failure. Sure, we know every year the Eagles will fall short of winning the Super Bowl, but the Wing Bowl was our kind of show. Drunken debauchery, wanton lechery, gluttony the scope of which no Californian could ever comprehend. . . . .Fat men eating wings at five in the morning surrounded by a lethal combination of drunken longshoremen, foolhardy students, and slumming corporate execs. Certainly the opportunity for mass carnage is there, but the risk is worth the reward. That was, until they changed the format this year.

What used to be a gratis admission, come if you have the balls, hang-over for free, guaranteed ass-whippin' good time has been ruined. WIP, the sports radio host of the event, decided to charge admission. Admittedly, a nominal fee of $5, but the small cost exacts a huge toll on the spirit of the event. The screwheads found a way to make a few more bucks, bucks which they are guaranteed through obscene pre-dawn beer sales, but bucks nonetheless.

Now, the true crusaders of over-indulgence will be out. Not priced out, but planned out. Planned out by the dweebs who heard about it on the radio and ran to Ticketmaster to buy a ticket. That sort of organization is the very antithesis of the event. Planned out by the yuck yuck corporate fatheads who think it'll be just a "hoot" to take their clients. "Hey Bob, it's better than the zoo." Of course, they have replaced the true animals so the Corporate dinks will only be staring at their own kind. No longer will it be necessary to roll out of a bar Thursday night and head to the parking lot to get in line. That necessity, once removed, will take the fear out of those unworthy to attend. The guys that make Wing Bowl great don't think ahead. God willing, they don't think at all. They just do. And that's the type of scum you want to cheer men on to puking if at all possible.

It's those men who bore the tax burden for the new stadiums in the first place. Why take away their greatest pleasure? By embracing the Corporate, plan it all crowd, Wing Bowl has turned its back on the kick-ass, blue-collar core of the city. We're not New York. What we did have was authenticity. Now that remaining vestige of dignity has been whored out for a Lincoln.