Thursday, February 28, 2008

the singularity begins....@#^%!!$^^&*





with props to the 'bumbot'......


Increasingly autonomous, gun-totting robots developed for warfare could easily fall into the hands of terrorists and may one day unleash a robot arms race, a top expert on artificial intelligence told AFP.
"They pose a threat to humanity," said University of Sheffield professor Noel Sharkey ahead of a keynote address Wednesday before Britain's Royal United Services Institute.

Intelligent machines deployed on battlefields around the world -- from mobile grenade launchers to rocket-firing drones -- can already identify and lock onto targets without human help.

There are more than 4,000 US military robots on the ground in Iraq, as well as unmanned aircraft that have clocked hundreds of thousands of flight hours.

The first three armed combat robots fitted with large-caliber machine guns deployed to Iraq last summer, manufactured by US arms maker Foster-Miller, proved so successful that 80 more are on order, said Sharkey.

But up to now, a human hand has always been required to push the button or pull the trigger.

It we are not careful, he said, that could change.

Military leaders "are quite clear that they want autonomous robots as soon as possible, because they are more cost-effective and give a risk-free war," he said.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080227111811.y9syyq8p&show_article=



this just in:

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2008/02/27/beer_aficionado_wins_lifetime_supply/1941/

YORK, Va., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A York, Va., man named the nation's top beer fan by a Colorado-based brewery has been awarded a lifetime supply of his favorite beverage.

Matt Venzke, who was named the winner of the "12th Annual Search for America's Ultimate Beer Fiend," which was carried out via a series of question-and-answer sessions with contestants, won "free beer for life" from Wynkoop Brewing Co., as well as a $250 beer tab at his favorite bar and the chance to design his own custom-brew alongside the company's top brewer, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reported Wednesday.

Venzke explained that his new found title was not based on the quantity of beer he drinks, but rather on the variety of brews he enjoys and his level of fandom.

"It's not about drinking high quantities of beer, it's about enjoying the diversities of beer," Venzke said.

Wynkoop said Venzke was chosen for his "humor" as well as "a combination of impressive beer drinking experiences ... and beer ambassadorship."



authorities in Grant Park have heard reports of a grown fat man weeping uncontrollably.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

String part for Jaye.....You can do it!

will John Galt arrive? Who is John Galt?




John Aglialoro is chief executive officer and chairman of Cybex International, which manufactures high-end treadmills, cross trainers, and weight equipment.

In 2007, Fortune Small Business rated Cybex #30 on their list of America’s fastest-growing companies, and rated Aglialoro #10 on their list of “richest execs” who own $10 million or more in stock and options.

In 1992, Aglialoro paid $1 million for the film rights to make an Atlas Shrugged movie. Today he is an executive producer of the forthcoming production, in association with Lionsgate Entertainment.

The following interview was conducted by Susan Paris on February 6th, 2008. The next day, she read the interview at the New York City Junto meeting celebrating Rand’s 103rd birthday.

The Atlasphere is grateful to Ms. Paris and Mr. Aglialoro for their permission to reprint this interview for its readers.



Susan Paris: Is Angelina Jolie firmly committed to the project?

John Aglialoro: Yes, she is. Here is what she told us: “Dagny Taggart is the most relatable character to me of all the extensive literature I have ever read.”


Angelina Jolie
SP: Has she signed a contract?

Aglialoro: We have a letter of intent.

SP: What will happen if current rumors that she is pregnant turn out to be true?

Aglialoro: I won’t comment on her personal matters.

SP: Would this excuse her from a commitment, or would the project be delayed?

Aglialoro: The Writers Guild strike has delayed us. And the contract of the Screen Actors Guild is up in May.

Rand’s original title for Atlas Shrugged was “The Strike.” So irony of ironies, we’re being held up by a strike. Fortunately the Directors Guild has already settled.

If it wasn’t for the writers strike the script would be finished and we’d be looking at locations.

SP: What other actors, if any, have committed to the project?
Aglialoro: We have had discussions with Russell Crowe to play the part of Hank Rearden. He has read the script. He’s very much in demand so we’ll have to see if he likes the script enough to fit this project in.


John Aglialoro with Howard and Karen Baldwin, taking audience questions about the Atlas Shrugged movie at The Objectivist Center's 2006 Summer Seminar


SP: Who is John Galt?

Aglialoro: He’ll probably be played by an unknown.

SP: The music of Rand’s character Richard Halley plays an important part in the novel. What are your plans for music?

Aglialoro: I’m looking for an epic musical composition, the sort that contributed so much to films like Out of Africa, The Natural, and Titanic.


I hope Lionsgate (the production and distribution company) will come up with something truly powerful.

SP: Is there a cameo for Patricia Neal?

Aglialoro: I am glad you reminded me. It would be nice to work that in.


Patricia Neal as Dominique Francon in the 1949 film adaptation of The Fountainhead


SP: Are you still planning three parts?

Aglialoro: No. It will be one movie, lasting roughly 2½ hours.

SP: When will filming begin?

Aglialoro: Fourth quarter of 2008 or 1st quarter of 2009.

SP: When would it open in theaters?

Aglialoro: You got to figure an editing process of at least six months. Probably you’re talking about the Fall of 2009.

SP: Do you think the final script will adequately convey the message of Rand's book?

Aglialoro: The essence of the message will be there. We can’t include every detail from the book.

We want people to be driven to the book by the movie.

In fact, when we do the DVD we want to include something on the disc to promote the book. I expect to include a feature on the making of the movie.


Atlas Shrugged movie Director Vadim Perelman
SP: Who will get screenwriting credits?

Aglialoro: James V. Hart did the first script. Then Randall Wallace took it over and added a lot to it.


Then our director, Vadim Perelman, did a lot of writing. So those three will have writing credit.

The script is excellent.

I’m going to try to get a credit for David Kelley as either a writer or an assistant producer. He has been integral in helping with the philosophic judgments in approving the script, and keeping true to the Objectivist view of the message of the novel.

SP: Is the story set in the 1950s, in the time when the book was released?

Aglialoro: It will be set in modern-day American. And it will be in color. The budget is $70 million.

SP: What kind of response do you expect?

Aglialoro: I think the extreme right and the extreme left will unite in a rare unity to denounce the movie and its philosophic message.

We will have hostile reviews. But the quality of this production will win out.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

headline reads "Viking Women dressed provacatively"





http://www.livescience.com/history/080225-viking-dress.html



Talk about false advertising!!!

Monday, February 25, 2008

David Peisner......douchebag of the day.





So, where do I remember the name David Peisner? Oh yeah. He used to be a 'freelance writer and music reviewer' for the Pravda of the southeast, the Creative Loafing.

So when Maxim asked him to review the first 'Black Crowes' album in 7 years, he tanked it and gave them 2 and a half stars. After all, this guy lived in the ATL and used to review bands for the local rag. Who better to review the 'Crowes?

Only problem is he didn't even listen to the cd. That, according to Pete Angelus, the band's manager. They had not released the cd's to the press yet. Doh!

WTG, Maxim magazine. Line up next to the 'Loaf as more proof of terrible 'journalism'. "Hey ! Let's write more about Cat Power! Look! She's so shy, she has to turn her back to the crowds! Oooohhh, that's soooo cool!"

http://www.blackcrowes.com/Release_MAXIM.html

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Nader is in again.....



Will Cynthia allow this white boy to run on her party ticket?

Friday, February 22, 2008

The Bum Bot





http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/02/20/robot_0213_jg_2.html


Rufus Terrill has had it with the drug dealers, petty thieves and vandals he says roam the streets outside his downtown Atlanta bar, O'Terrills.

But instead of calling the police or hiring private security guards, Terrill reached for his toolbox.




He mounted an old meat smoker atop a three-wheel scooter and attached a spotlight, an infrared camera, water cannon and a loudspeaker. He covered the contraption with impact-resistant rubber and painted the whole thing jet black.
And so was born what surely must be Atlanta's first remote-controlled, robotic vigilante.

Late at night several times a week, Terrill powers up the 4-foot-tall, 300 pound device and reaches for a remote control packed with two joysticks and various knobs and switches. Standing on a nearby corner, he maneuvers the machine down the block, often to a daycare center where it accosts what Terrill says are drug dealers, vagrants and others who shouldn't be there.

He flashes the robot's spotlight and grabs a walkie-talkie, which he uses to boom his disembodied voice over the robot's sound system.

"I tell them they are trespassing, it's private property, and they have to leave," he said. "They throw bottles and cans at it. That's when I shoot the water cannon. They just scatter like roaches."

Terrill hasn't named his creation. The day care center operator, Lydia Meredith, lovingly calls it "robo-cop," a nod to the popular movie series about a half man, half machine police officer.

O'Terrill's regulars, who cheer on the robot from the safety of the bar's porch, have coined a much less politically correct moniker: the bum-bot.
Whatever you call it, it's not an elegant looking machine. Terrill is on the money when he describes it as a cross between the "Star Wars" robot R2-D2 and a tank.

Terrill is far from your average hobbyist. An engineer by training, he also ran for lieutenant governor in 2006, finishing last among the five Democrats on the ballot.

Terrill says deploying the robot has helped keep crime in check, preventing car break-ins and drug deals and stopping vandals from trashing the day care center. The water cannon is on a low setting and is merely a nuisance, he said.

Terrill insists he's not a kook, that he's serious about using his robot to fight crime.
"The city lacks the ability to control crime in the area," he said. "I think I'm doing what I have to do."

Atlanta police officials said they haven't received any complaints about the robot. But police spokeswoman Lisa Keyes said Terrill would be committing an assault if he intentionally sprays water on someone when in control of the robot.

Terrill said he is not restricting anyone's rights and noted that he has written permission from the day care owner to use the robot on her property.

Much of the crime in the area, Terrill claims, is related to a nearby shelter run by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless at the corner of Peachtree and Pine streets. As many as 1,000 people crowd into the facility on winter nights.

The Task Force's director, Anita Beatty, said the area's crime can be traced to drug dealers who prey on the homeless, many of whom suffer from drug addiction.

"I'm not saying everybody who lives here is an angel," said Beatty. "But it's simply not true that this place attracts crime to the neighborhood."

Beatty said she had heard about the robot but had yet to see it in action.

""I just hope he keeps his little robot away from our place, because it sounds kind of angry," she said.

But some are glad to see stepped-up security in the neighborhood.

Meredith, who manages the day care facility, Renaissance Learning Center, said the robot has helped protect her property.

"I'm happy to have the robo-cop," she said, laughing. "I wish I had two or three more robo-cops. I wish I could afford to have a robo-cop myself."

Terrill said his efforts have been criticized by some, who suggest he's out to get the homeless. One person who's been face-to-um, face with the robot told him it's inhumane to use a machine against people. Terrill said the man threatened to shoot him, but so far he's not been harmed.

Terrill is undeterred.

"It's not a fight against the homeless, it's a fight against crime," he said. "I'm just trying to run a business in a peaceful manner."

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

unintended consequences






After the wonderful Olympics passed through Atlanta, and shortly after my wedding my wife and I bought our first house...The process was arduous for both of us: myself a daytime pizza cook, and musician by night, and my wife a secretary/underwriter for Northwestern Mutual. We needed to have 20% down to buy our first house, or we would be denied the loan, or have to pay PMI ( personal mortgage insurance).

My mother in law offered us a wedding gift of 10,000$ to buy our first home. But when she found out we wanted to live in the 'ghetto', she reneged, and took the money back. Nonplussed, we went ahead with the purchase, and paid 2 years PMI due to the fact we did not have 20% down.

Then, something interesting happened. Local 'activists' began complaining about 'redlining', and about making poor/minority first time homeowners carry PMI insurance. They argued that mortgage lenders ( Like Countrywide, for instance )were being 'racist' and 'elitist', so they 'loosened' the underwriting and lending process.

Suddenly, our neighborhood exploded with growth. Young people of all stripes began buying up the houses here, the 'East Atlanta Village' went from having one restaurant ( the Heaping bowl ) to multitudes of restaurants, pubs, music bars and clothing shops.

Then, the unscrupulous mortgage bankers and thier ilk began offering 100% no $$ down loans without following through with basic lending protocol...I started hearing ad's about 'refinancing your home' from a fixed to an ARM as being 'the biggest no brainer in the history of man'.

Now, who is paying for this monumental screw up? We are. Now we have to bail out these businesses that followed the advice of 'community activists' and loosened standards, and the umitigated greed of the mortgage loan officers that fraudulently gave too much money to complete morons.

I wan't my 2 years of PMI insurance BACK before I have to pay one dime in bailing out these crooks.

Also, what happened after the ridiculous 'dangling chad' episode in Florida here in Georgia? All of a sudden, local 'activists' claimed we had to get rid of the 'butterfly ballot' voting machines in lieu of something better.

Enter Cathy Cox, the democrat Sec if State. Faced with this sound and fury, she brokers a deal to bring in 'touch screen voting' ( via evil,eeeeeevvvvil Diebold! )in response.

Nnow, she's a pariah! 'Paper trails!! Must have paper trails!!!!' local 'activists' scream! Heelllo~ dumb masses. We had a 'paper trail', it was called a 'butterfly ballot'! That's made OUT OF PAPER! That wasn't good enough, remember?

Just read this link to the HuffPo for more 'insight':

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-gumbel/americas-next-election-n_b_7940.html

So now, after 54 million dollars to 'upgrade', we are going to have to spend much more to make sure the 'e voter' machines will come with a 'paper trail'...Which we already had! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

It reminds me of voting for GWB the second time around, on the 'belief' he was going to cut spending and reduce the size of Government. The unintended consequence of that was more dead American soldiers so that he could settle a 'deathgrudge' he had against Sadaam, the guy who tried to croak his Dad...

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/09/27/bush.war.talk/

The law of unintended consequences at work.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

the Angry White Man


There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.

Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.

The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.

He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.

The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.

The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.

His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.

He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.

Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”

He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.

He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.

Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.

He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.

There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.

He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.

Monday, February 18, 2008

final installment

What fun!


part deaux

Penn and Teller ....part 1

More from Kosovo....





Ever met a Kosovar? How about A Serb, Croat or Monte 'negro'?

The pictures above are one's I took while in the region, one showing the area that is fenced off and verboten for 'foreigners', only from crew members....But, music is an international language, one that has opened hearts and doors for me worldwide, from the Burmese triangle to the Former Soviet Union.

The 'sailors' on the ferry's over there ( there's a joke in there somewhere ) were former Serb soldiers, but after NATO stepped in, they became Kosovarian 'underclassmen' overnight...They now drive the Taxi's, wash the ships, etc...

And they HATE Bill Clinton..And I'm sure now, they HATE GWB.

I learned this lesson well before 9-11. So I consider it a grave mistake to have stepped in a nations 'civil war', and in 10 years we will be 'policing' Mesopotamia in the name of 'freedom'.

I just knew this day was coming: you cannot provide autonomy for a 'portion' of a sovereign state and it's major city, and think the Serbs are going to be happy about it.

That's why Greece, Cyprus and other neighboring countries are not going to 'recognize' Kosovo. They don't want that crap coming home to roost.

It is also very hypocritical for our Govt to 'recognize' this fledgling democracy in flagrant violation of international law, but to turn away from the Cypriot Turks, who have been segregated and promised autonomy since 2004. Disgusting.

I hope Hannity will recall how much he (righteously) blasted Clinton for 'nation building' and 'meddling in ancient tribal grudge wars' , but will he extend the same courtesy to GWB? I think not.

How about the fact that to this day, the bombings by Clinton and NATO are still in flux? The UN Security Council opposed 'use of force' due to 2 veto votes by....Russia and China.

Gee, who was against our Iraq intervention? The UNSC. But hey, why look at history?

Some may ask ' what should we have done? Let Slobodan slaughter the Albanian separitists?'....Why not? We stood by and watched a genocide occur in Africa, and didn't do anything about it, and currently we are watching another genocide happening on the African continent, but we are too busy policing the 'Sunni Triangle'?!

Instead, we got our cruise missiles involved, and now 10 years later....Well, let's just say I'm glad I dont operate a 'McDonalds' franchise anywhere near there. If I ever go back, I'll have to watch my back like a Jew in Iran.

Everyone makes fun of 'Ron Paul' for his 'simpleminded' foreign policy, but he is right.

Dammit.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

way down in Kosovo












Well, it seems Kosovo is 'declaring itself independant' of Serbia today...What a wonderful thing, right?

Who remembers the right wing talk show hosts condemning Clinton for 'aggression' against Serbia against UN doctrine, in the face of 'ethnic cleansing'? I do.

But, as is usually the case, I've actually been there..I sang songs with members of the former Serbian Navy as they were busted down to 'low level deckhands' on the ferries...I've played in Dubrovnik with Croats and Montenegro guitarists.

In short, back then I thought our involvement in thier civil tribal war ( much like Iraq) would come back to bite us in the ass.

This new 'Kosovo' will be the new 'Isreal' in the EU, along with all it's thousand years of internal, infernal hatreds....Much more death is to come.

There were atrocities committed on both sides. The Albanian 'KLA' gave thier children wooden guns, and taught them to hate and 'kill' the Serbs.

The Serbs did the same.

Of course, those on the left that decry 'use of military force' and say 'we should treat these nations as a law enforcement( CIA) problem, rather then a military objective' conveniently forget how Slick Willie bombed the crap out of Serbia against UN orders....And we have stationed 2 battalions there ever since. We 'police' this neighborhood now ( along with the Brits, French, and one UN battalion) and how great is that going to be when the car bombs start?

Who will say 'why did we attack Serbia? They never attacked us!? Shame! "


Breaks my heart to see this land I visited torn apart like this.







http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5570

Saturday, February 16, 2008

The cult of Asshole-anity



So I admit to watching these 'diverse' morons 'gettin down' , and I was amused.

Hell. I am sure I did some Morris Day and the Time dance moves back in my day.

But, it was bumpin' and grindin'...Not smackin' and yackin'. BIG difference.

Mico and I pull up to a 'pizza joint' with a 'service window' ( aka BP/Citgo bulletproof style)on Bourbon Street.....And one of these 'douchebags' grabs an entire bottle of Parmesean and takes off the lid....Then, staggering, he pours an obscene amount on his 'slice'...And while grinning, starts to pour the rest out on the street....

So, we are behind him, and I look exasperated at the females in the group, the 'diverse one's' just having been 'spanked'...They do nothing.

I step up and grab the container out of this idiots hand, and tell him " Hey! I want some!. Knock it off!"

At this point he proceeds to tell me what he thinks of me, and that this 'evil corporation' is only writing it off, anyways!..Except this was not Pizza Hut~ on Bourbon Street. They have guys with backpacks selling small pies for 4 bucks off of bikes...This was a 'Mom and Pop', or most likely, a East African Mom and Pop...

I don't cotton to violence, but I was with Mico and 2 other big dudes. So I told him 'you ain't gonna be an a hole at my expense.' I'm keeping this cheese, move along, junior.'

At this point his friends started apologising. And then, again, I felt like a moron...I should have let him have his drunken 'protest'.....

At last.....Georgia is off the radar



http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_8269190

So, finally a bill in Cali is going to force schools to teach 'Global Warming' in it's curriculum...Which means they finally overtake our local dumbasses that want 'evolution is a theory' post it notes stuck in our science textbooks.

Thanks California!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

okay.............

Victory!




Mike Vick is in Jail and the beagle has won the best of breed!

The Pats lose, and if Hillary goes down, all wih be right with the world.

'Course, if Hillary went down, Bill would not have gotten impeached!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Suck it up.



A very good article:






Listening to the irrational and hysterical response of conservatives to the presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.


Roland S. Martin says some conservatives are opposed to Sen. John McCain's run to the presidency.

During a debate Tuesday on CNN's "The Situation Room," conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck said that the Republican Party has lost its soul, and McCain is indicative of that problem. He even said that if Sen. Hillary Clinton is the nominee, he will ignore McCain and cast a ballot for her.

Now, how silly is that?

Looking at the exit polls from Super Tuesday, McCain did well in some states with conservative voters, but he continues to run strong among moderates and independents. He clearly has a lot of work to do to shore up this important constituent in the party.

Let's be clear -- conservatives don't like McCain. But with conservatives one seat away from having a majority on the Supreme Court and the next president having the power to name up to three justices, do you actually think the folks who've fought two generations to re-take the Court actually want to see three Clinton jurists?

This, folks, is bordering on the irrational.

It all revolves around this desperate desire to find the new Ronald Reagan. He is the conservative icon. However as conservative Bill Bennett told me Tuesday night during one of our breaks in Super Tuesday coverage, Ronald Reagan wasn't always Ronald Reagan. His positions on taxes and gays evolved.

But don't tell that to conservative radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, who have vowed to destroy McCain because he doesn't carry their water on every issue. Most issues? Yes. But they require their politicians to assume a fetal position, not to have a backbone and stand up to them when needed.

McCain is a guy who is fiercely pro-life. That's a pretty important issue for the conservatives. He is strong on the military and being a former Vietnam prisoner of war sure doesn't hurt. When Republicans got weak-kneed over the surge in Iraq, McCain stood tall and proclaimed that it will work.

The guy is a fiscal conservative who abhors the spending that has taken place during the presidency of George W. Bush and the Congress under Republican rule. Yes, he voted against the first two Bush tax cuts. But as he said, when you don't have spending limits with tax cuts, you blow up the federal deficit, and we are a weaker nation today because Republicans acted like a teenager with Mom and Dad's credit card.

What you will hear from conservatives is that he has co-sponsored legislation with several Democrats, including former Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman. Of course, I crack up laughing because conservative talkers have a love affair with Lieberman yet they rip McCain apart for trying to actually accomplish something in a bipartisan manner.

What they seem to be most angry about is that McCain teamed up with Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold to move through a law that severely restricted the dollars in federal elections. This angered conservatives because they viewed the issue as a First Amendment cause. In fact, they really were upset about the GOP losing a major advantage over the Democrats when it came to fundraising. With that window narrowed by the law, they didn't want to see that advantage disappear. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down some parts of the law, but that still hasn't satisfied the money vultures on the right.

Lastly, there's the immigration debate.

In an effort to exercise leadership on a volatile issue, McCain chose not to be a demagogue and work out a compromise bill that would curtail the nation's unsecured borders, while figuring out a way to deal with the 12 million illegal immigrants already here. If you talk to the rabid conservative talk show hosts and their wild and angry listeners, their only option is to throw these immigrants out of the country. In former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, they have a very sympathetic ear.

But we all know the truth. That will never happen. Never.

So instead of drooling at such prospects, McCain worked with Democrats and some Republicans to offer a solution, which included making illegal immigrants learn English, pay a fine, force them to get in line for citizenship while targeting businesses that hire them.

Yet, the anger in America was too great. Whites, blacks, some Hispanics, conservatives, and even liberals couldn't stomach doing this first and not securing the borders.

Folks, McCain is a pragmatic leader trying to solve a difficult situation.

If McCain wins the nomination, he is the best option the GOP has to stopping the candidacies of Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

what's wrong with these people?




I'm sorry, but if you are using your kids to support any presidential candidate, you are one bad parent.

And the moonbats just take the cake.


Monday, February 11, 2008

Go Beagle!




NEW YORK (AP) — Barking and baying, a precocious beagle called Uno took his first winning steps at Westminster. Uno easily took the best of breed Monday at America's No. 1 dog show, bounding around the ring and trying to grab the lead out of handler Aaron Wilkerson's hand.

"Snoopy would be proud," Wilkerson said.

A perfectly trimmed toy poodle, a top Sealyham terrier and prize-winning Akita were among the 2,627 entries. The dogs came in 169 breeds and varieties, and there were four newly sanctioned types — the Tibetan mastiff, Beauceron, Swedish vallhund and Plott.

Tri-colored and nearly 3, Uno moved into Monday night's judging in the hound group. While best in show will be presented Tuesday night, the playful 15-inch beagle certainly earned one title at Madison Square Garden: noisiest in show.

Uno sounded off every chance he got and clearly became the early crowd favorite, wagging his white-tipped tail and taking a flying leap at one of Wilkerson's cooked pork loin treats.

"He was being his merry little hound self," Wilkerson said.

While the movie "Underdog" was a big winner last year, a beagle is always a long shot on the Garden's green carpet.

The best in show award has been presented 100 times by the Westminster Kennel Club and a beagle has never won. Part of the problem is the breed's engaging, friendly nature.

"Great show dogs often have an air about them. It's like this is their world and we're just living in it," Westminster TV host David Frei said. "But beagles want to be in our world."

They also have another disadvantage: They're far from the fancy-cut, froufrou dogs that often win.

"To some, a beagle may not look as spectacular as the Afghan hound, flying around the ring with all that hair," Frei said.

With pleading, golden-brown eyes and plenty of tail-wagging personality, Uno could break out of the Westminster doghouse. No beagle has even won the hound group since 1939.

"To have the general public see an average dog going and competing and actually winning would send a signal that everyone can do it," said Eddie Dziuk, one of Uno's co-owners.

Uno came with his favorite stuffed frog toy and the fluffy pillow he sleeps on, the one with a Hollywood star. His official name is K-Run's Park Me in First, and he bested 12 other entries in the 15-inch category.

Beagles also come in the 13-inch variety, though both types can come from the same litter. In show parlance, Uno is a "big beagle."

Judge J. Donald Jones, former a dean at Emory University, will point to his choice as the champion right before 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Uno already has earned 32 best in show titles, and finished 2007 as the sixth-ranked show dog in the country. He took the hound group at the AKC/Eukanuba show in December.

A Sealyham terrier with a gray splotch over his left eye won that big competition in Long Beach, Calif. Called Charmin, he wound up as the No. 4 dog last year.

Also in contention will be a neatly primped white toy poodle born in Japan. Vikki has won 83 best in show ribbons and enters as the nation's top dog.

An Akita that reached the best in show ring last year in New York will return. Missing will be James, an English springer spaniel who retired after winning last February.

USA Network and CNBC will split the coverage the first night, with USA doing the second night alone. Frei was hesitant to pick a favorite, though he did offer a prediction.

"What better choice could there be to win America's dog show than an all-American dog?" he said. "A beagle winning would bring down the house."

Must read

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/the_last_union_town/page1

Sunday, February 10, 2008

the best and the worst



best baby boy: Paul 'slide man' Frayer

worst karaoke: barmitzvah!

Friday, February 8, 2008

why?





After dropping the little man off at school Super Tuesday, I proceeded to go to the polls and pull the lever for McCain. Now some of the conservative yakkers are besides themselves at the thought of a moderate as POTUS, but I would be okay with Big Mac in there....Much more so then Her Majesty!

But while discussing this with some libertarian friends, they observed I am somewhat of a hypocrit for not voting in the primary for Ron Paul. I guess I am. But, I wanted to send a message to the conservative wing of the party that it's okay to be a moderate....Ron Paul has no chance, and it was a very tight race between Huckaboom and McCain. So I voted for Mac, and I will bear the stain.

However, why do candidates spend $$ to have idiots hold up thier signs on primary tuesday? Is there someone that knows where the poll is, has an ID, but does not know the candidates? Will seeing some morons on the street actually work? Does it result in more votes?

Sunday @ Kudzu, 4pm 8pm...Free to the public, and the whole 5 piece is there!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Tombstone

Saints on a Train! Get these MnFn Saints off this MnFn Train!

It's ass wednesday, so here's a clip from our annual pilgrimage to Nawlins...It was taken saturday afternoon, Feb 2nd en route to the biggest party in America, on the Amtrak Crescent.

Let the good times roll!





Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Monday, February 4, 2008

Friday, February 1, 2008

cheaters

should never prosper.

with that in mind, I hope the PATS lose this sunday.


GMA....out for blood!