CatHouse Chat

New Precision Guided Humor Assignment: Boosting Osama's Ratings

Over at the Alliance, there's a new assignment for all our members. "Boosting Osama's ratings," huh? Hmmm.... As the assignment post says:

Osama's got another tape out, which was met by a collective yawn. This guy is SERIOUSLY lacking in current terrorist street cred. I mean, assuming he's not dead - which is a toss up - he's living in a cave somewhere, no food, no money... all his lieutenants are dead or in jail... all he's got left are the kind of bumbling minions that could play the Penguin's henchmen on the old Batman TV series.

Yeah, I suppose his entertainment rating has pretty much fallen into the pit. Wow! What an assignment to get for my first week as a member of the Alliance. Oh well, let's see what I can come up with....

Actually, what I think Osama needs to do is go into infomercials. They're on just about every channel, which would get him lots of exposure. Of course, infomercials are usually on to entertain insomniacs in the wee small hours, so Osama has to have a real good gimmick. It would have to be more than an annoying attitude that makes people throw things at the TV in frustration (lot of people can do that).

Hey! He could pair up with Eeeeeevil Glenn^tm and demonstrate the Evil Instapundit of Doom Puppy Blender. Eeevil Glenn^tm would be the draw, and the Puppy Blender demonstration would keep 'em coming back for more. I mean, really, it's a match made in heaven!

Of course, with all of Eeeevil Glenn's^tm Plots for World Domination or ruining Christmas by making reindeer shakes (well, that plan failed...), that might not be such a great idea....

And then again, in a contest between Eeevil Glenn^tm and Osama, Glenn would quickly overwhelm Osama with his legion of Ninja Monkeys. After torturing Osama with a looped video of Evil Glenn punching FrankJ for hours on end, I'm sure Osama would die of sheer envy. But Osama wouldn't hold up to much more than that.

Gee, this started off about boosting Osama's ratings, and turned into Filthy Lies^tm about Eeeevil Glenn^tm.... My, how a girl can get sidetracked! Well, maybe Eeevil Glenn would broadcast the final insanely envious hours of Osama's life. That would boost Osama's ratings in the short term, but it's kind of a hard act to follow.

UPDATE: Of course, Osama could revive his musical career.....

Son of "Stingy," the sequal

Over at TownHall, Bruce Bartlett has an article, Stingy?, which further discusses our national generosity. (HT to Prestopundit)

Oh, and Amazon's fundraiser is up over $8 million....

I believe in Creation

Thanks to Leaning Right, I now know about Joseph Farah over at WorldNet Daily.   He has two articles in particular, I believe in Creation and Why I believe in Creation, which bring up some interesting points.

Leaning Right has commentary here and here on this subject, and brings up another valid point about the ACLU (referring to another article from Mr. Farah) really promoting its own "religion."

As Mr. Farah states in "I believe in Creation,"

Last month, the ACLU helped several disgruntled parents in suburban Atlanta sue their school district over a simple label on its science textbooks that states: "This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered."

The suit claims the school board is "doing more than accommodating religion. They are promoting religious dogma to all students."

Let me contradict that statement. When people accept the theory of evolution as an article of faith and teach it as a matter of fact and permit no dissent whatsoever from their doctrine, they are the ones who are promoting religious dogma to all students.

So, as one of my favorite ministries, Answers in Genesis, says, "Destroy the foundations, and eventually the rest of the building will fall." [paraphrased] Creation is an important foundation to our society, and evolutionary theory and its supporters have done a "good" job destroying it. It's time to force the evolutionists to admit the many failings of their theory and make them confront other theories honestly.

UPDATE: It occurs to to me that I may not have been clear in my last paragraph.

Yes, I will be frank: I would LOVE it if Creationism were taught in schools. I believe that it has many valid responses to evolutionary theory, and that it is far closer to the truth. However, I realize that this is probably not very realistic.

In any case, I am not advocating that evolution is removed from the classroom. The theory has its strong points in explaining micro-evolution. My real wish is that it is taught honestly, with all its problems and difficulties, and not as "absolute fact." There are other well supported theories out there which need to be acknowledged and taught, such as Intelligent Design.

And, no, ID does not require teaching "religion."

I guess I'm just tired of being treated like an idiot when I say I don't believe in evolution, and try to point out its problems and the biases of its proponents.

UPDATE: "Stingy"??!!!

Over at You Big Mouth, You!, there's a great roundup of what the private sector of the United States of America is doing for the tsunami victims. This is, of course, above and beyond the initial $35 million, the carrier, the P-3's, the C-130's (or whatever the Air Force is using for supplies - sorry, guys), and so on, and so on, etc., that the government is sending.

And, of course, this doesn't mention the grassroots people like St. Gabriel's Episcopal or larger groups like Samaritan's Purse and World Vision, among so many other organizations and churches.

Thank God the USA is so open hearted and generous! We are richly blessed, and we really do love to spread it around.

Dragon style!

Surfing aroung on Blog Explosion (and it's pretty fun - you should check it out), I found a site with this Quizilla quiz. Fun!

This particular quiz needs to be seriously spell-checked, but - hey! - it's all in fun!

You're a wind Dragon! Hey, you, the smartest dragon of the branch ["bunch"?]. You love reading and writing, but are quite shy. Your IQ is probably sky-high [I wouldn't say so, but thanks for the compliment] and your stories can win trophies [really?]. You're not very good in sports [true], or maybe you are, and just not interested.. You are very wise, smart, and kind [well, I'd like to think so....].

What elemental dragon are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

How taxes work

PoliPundit.com - Never Hurts to Say It Again is a brilliant and simple explanation of our tax system. I assume that there are some "nuances" left out in the example (thank God!), but it's something you should check out.

I love it!

The UN has "moral authority"?!

Captain's Quarters has a lovely discussion about this article from the Scotsman. I mean, with comments like this (from former International Development Secretary Clare Short)

"I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up,” she said.

“Only really the UN can do that job,” she told BBC Radio Four’s PM programme.

“It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers.”

it's just too irresistible!

"Moral authority?" Has Ms. Short been informed of the Oil-for-Food scandal? How about the sexual exploitation in the Congo?  Hello?

Captain Ed finishes up beautifully:

It's the Clueless Clares of the world who sacrifice the downtrodden of the world to the brutal and incompetent clutches of the UN for the greater purpose of having a single world government. The idea that Short can make this kind of assertion with a straight face shows the depth of corruption on the radical Left. I say bravo to George Bush for bypassing the grifters and rapists of the UN.

(HT to Q&O)

What's right in the world?

Thanks to Mr. Reynolds, I read Radley Balko's article over at FOXNews: Straight Talk - 2004: The Good News.

So, for the pessimists among us, here is a nice, rosey outlook on the past year. Call me a cock-eyed optimist, but this merely reaffirms what I believe to be true. We do live in a sin-cursed world, and there are a lot of terrible things happening, but we should never lose sight of the good things going on all around us.

Bloggers tortured in Iran

BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis has a story up about bloggers being improsoned and tortured in Iran. The original translation is here. This has happened before, and bloggers rallied around.

Spread the word!

(HT to who else?)

US not "stingy"

Via Drudge, a My Way News article states:

U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland rowed back from statements he made on Monday after an annoyed Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington was "the greatest contributor to international relief efforts in the world." [snip]

The United Nations urged rich nations a quarter of a century ago to give away 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product every year in the form of development aid.

To date, however, just a handful of European nations, most of them in Scandinavia, actually meet that goal.

The United States, the world's largest economy, contributes about 0.13 a year of its GDP to development aid. But that figure excludes aid to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as food aid, where the United States is the world's largest donor.

Too bloody right! "Stingy," indeed. *pffft!*

UPDATE: And as of 28Dec04 at 1900EST, Amazon alone has raised almost $250,000 for the Red Cross relief fund. That's not government aid, people! That's every day citizens caring about others. *pffft!* again!

UPDATE2: As of 29Dec04, at 0754EST, it is up over $1 million. *snicker* In less than 24 hours, one source has, apparently given more than *spit* france *spit*. I wonder how Samaritan's Purse is doing.....

UPDATE3: And and Amazon tops $2 million, heading to $2.5mil... And here's a better post about *spit* france's *spit* "contribution".

In the Name of God, amen:

The people who walked in darkness
       Have seen a great light;
       Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
       Upon them a light has shined

[...]

For unto us a Child is born,
       Unto us a Son is given;
       And the government will be upon His shoulder.
       And His name will be called
       Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
       Of the increase of His government and peace
       There will be no end,
       Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
       To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
       From that time forward, even forever.
       The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

[...]

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       "Glory to God in the highest,
       And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

[...]

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

[...]

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

[...]

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Thank you to our troops!

UPDATE: Here's one from the Swift Vets! (God bless tham, too!)

Dear US military person -

I apologize for being so anonymous to you. It is sad that I do not know your name or your circumstances - whether you're a man or a woman, married or single, whether you have children, what faith you hold, what your rank is.... But even though I don't know any of that, there are several things I do know.

I know you are the best of the best. You are an American who believes in duty and service, and in getting the job done. I daresay that you would far rather be at home with your family and friends. But now, you are far from home, and doing a very difficult job under extremely stressful circumstances because it is the right thing to do.

Thank you. Thank you so very much!

Because of you, America sleeps well at night. Because of you, we have open elections, freedom of speech, and the right to worship as we choose.

There is no way to fully repay the debt we owe to you and your comrades.

I realize you may not share my faith, and so I hope you will accept my prayers in the spirit they are given. I want you to know that I continually ask God's blessing on you. I pray for your safety, and that of your comrades. I pray that you will get rest and food, and that God will grant you calm and wisdom in combat. I pray that the Iraqi people will see your honor and kindness and honesty, and will be grateful for your service.

But most of all, I pray you come home to your family and friends, safe and sound.

May God richly bless you and your service. I pray that you have a quiet Christmas, and that next Christmas you are home and surrounded by your family, while you watch the peaceful, free, and prosperous society that Iraq has become because of your bravery and honor.

Thank you.

UPDATE(-ING as I find more links): There are other letters from Emperor Misha, a whole bunch in the comments at Slaglerock's, SmallTown Veteran, the Delftsman, Politics Unplugged, Sworn Enemy, Moo's Meanderings, In the Bullpen, Mamamontezz's blog, Memento Moron, the Middle Ground, Six Meat Buffet, Something... and Half of Something, MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Who Tends the Fires. If you come across one I haven't listed here, let me know so I can post it for anyone who drops by. I would like to make it easy for people to link out to as many letters as possible from here.

worship naked: can santa go to hell?

Aunt Tee Tee has a moral dilemma over at worship naked: can santa go to hell?.

My answer? Absolutely NOT!

I think this is probably the most adorable and sweet Christmas "oopsie" I've ever heard.

The Bible - popular thru the ages

Thanks to Shock and Blog!

Go read this post at Drink This... for just a few quotes from great leaders about the Bible. I know there are far more, but this collection seems particularly relevant today.

Blogthings Quiz

Gee. What a surprise:

You Are a Religious Republican

You make up the conservative, Christian, dedicated core of the Republican Party. You believe it's important for religious people to stand up for their beliefs in politics. And for you, this means voting your conscience - which almost always means voting Republican. Your pet causes include the sanctity of life, school vouchers, and prayer in school.

What political persuasion are you?

The Thudfactor Polygeek Quiz

Thanks to Memento Moron, we have this quiz:

<>

<>

You are 22% geek

OK, so maybe you ain't a geek. You do, at least, show a bit of interest in the world around you. Either that, or you have enough of a sense of humor to pick some of the sillier answers on the test. Regardless, you're probably a pretty nifty, well-rounded person who gets along fine with people and can chat with just about anyone without fear of looking stupid or foolish or overly concerned with minutiae. God, I hate you.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Cool. I can live with that.

Tony Blankley

Thanks to the Anchoress, I have this link over to Tony Blankley, over at Jewish World Review. Mr. Blankley opens up his commentary with

It is often observed that certain brilliant people "don't suffer fools gladly." But the more common experience of mankind is that fools don't suffer brilliant people gladly.

An excellent example of this phenomenon is the current attack on Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld by a legion of Washington little people: a pack of has beens, never weres and wannabees. In other words, sitting senators, retired generals and journalists who, whether sitting or standing are, regrettably, never retiring.

Ow! And how accurate!

The Anchoress herself gets in the perfect "last word" with a quote from Oscar Wilde:

I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.

*snerk!* Oh, how the mots justes (apologies for the *spit* french *spit*) are just flying!

annika's journal: Poetry Wednesday

Amen, indeed.

And as Annika ends,

Arise, shine;
       For your light has come!
       And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
Isaiah 60:1

MSN Video: Mrs. Cheney

Via Powerline, I liked to this MSN Video, an interview with Mrs. Cheney. I am assuming that the link will remain active for this particular video, but I am not certain.

Anyway, Mrs. Cheney is such a wonderfully classy lady! I didn't catch the name of the lady from "Hardball," but she did an excellent job, too.

Power Line: Thank you, Mrs. Cheney...

Powerline has a post - Thank you, Mrs. Cheney.... - which is wonderful! It goes through a little bit of our "documentary" history specifically the Declaration of Independance, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Northwest Ordinance.

The Big Trunk, one of Powerline's three authors, writes:

What is the American creed? Few know it as such, but as it happens it is of course closely related to the story of Washington's crossing the Delaware. The American creed is expressed with inspired concision in the words of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

But does the Declaration have any legal status such that these words can be truly deemed to state the American creed? It does, although virtually no one seems to know it. In 1878 Congress enacted a revised version of the United States Code that included a new first section entitled "The Organic Laws of the United States." The story behind the 1878 revision of the Code is told in the introduction to political scientist Richard Cox's valuable book Four Pillars of Constitutionalism: The Organic Laws of the United States. Cox credits the idea for the book to Professor Harry Jaffa, Distinguished Fellow of the Claremont Institute.

The Code is Congress's official compilation of federal law; the organic laws of the United States are America's founding laws. First and foremost of the four organic laws of the United States is the Declaration of Independence. Following the Delcaration among the organic laws are the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Why was the Northwest Ordinance included among the organic laws of the United State? That, gentle readers, is the subject for another day.

I did not know a lot of this, and obviously I am going to need to research the subject. Nevertheless, what a fascinating thing! Please go to the post itself and click on the links provided for more discussion of the topic.

I'd like to thank the authors of Powerline for an excellent and thought-provoking blog! They're on my list of blogs to check at least three times a day. I like their reasoned and timely comments on what's going on in our world. Thanks, guys!

Attn Rumsfield detractors:

Powerline puts all the idiocy of the "Rummy Auto-signature Scandal" in perspective. Read A Marine's Father Speaks:

Bottom line, we support Sec Rumsfeld. The people who are making a big deal about this have their heads up their collective a****. They need to have a serious priority check on what people in positions of responsibility should be doing with their time. They should also chat with some military families if they could figure out how to contact them.

That was the last paragraph. Read the whole thing.

OUTRAGEOUS!

Via IMAO and Michelle Malkin, I'm linked over to this:FISH OR MAN: I Am Finished.

Even if I were - note use of subjunctive, people - to discount FishOrMan's side by 50%, this is absolutely insane! If the officers involved behaved in this obnoxious fashion, I would be hunting for a shark-lawyer who supports the Second Amendment.

And then the harassment inside the jail.....? Lord, I thought this was America, you bloody nazis!

FishOrMan, I hope you get your gun back, I hope you get compltely and publically vindicated, and I hope that these "officers" get to copy the Second Amendment about a million times each. By hand, and legibly.

Now go set up a PayPal so we can help with fees!

UPDATE: Hmmm, it may be that I was hasty, and that there is a history here. Check out this and this for a pro-Second Amendment perspective which is reacting cautiously to FishOrMan's postings. This is why I do not shoot guns off the range: I sometimes jump to conclusions. So. Let's see how this turns out.

UPDATE2: Hog On Ice ad his readers make some very good points, too. To me, it looks like Fish may have been technically in the right, but he really frelled* up in the way he went about it. I would suppose a less in-your-face approach may have diffused the tension, even if it irritated his pride. *shrug* I dunno. Your mileage may vary.

*frelled - a little Farscape phrase, on Earth it's usually spelled differently....

Osama who?

The Cranky Neocon posts this interesting introspective of the rise and fall of Osama bin Laden. In an article titled Osama - The Man Behind The Tapes, Cranky uncovers the little known past of this minor musical sensation.

Of course, I think there could be more information which the post does not address. What about the troubled childhood? How about the pleas for financial support? Where are the plaintive cries of "Give peace a chance?" Oh, wait - that was John Lennon, sorry.

But Cranky doesn't go far enough! If we're going to have a retrospective of such a long-forgotten figure, I want ANGST! I want DHRAHMA - PATHOS, even!

C'mon, Cranky, don't you know you've got to sell it to all the ladies so it eventually is made into a multi-million dollar chick-flick? Geeze, you need a new agent, dude! ;)

And who's coming to visit?

I am astonished. Let's see what turns up, if anything.

Democratic Underground Forums - Cat blogs anyone?.

Snow!

OK, it's not much, and I really can't believe they cancelled school for this, but it's SNOW! Maybe we'll get a real winter with lots of snow.... Nuts, that means I'm going to have to get a better coat.

But anyway:

Regarding some of my favorite blog-people

Sarahk visited FrankJ (of IMAO) this weekend. She had an interesting adventure at the airport on her way home.

I think Frank's in deeeeeeeeep trouble!

Barney cam!

I knew the White House had a Barney Home Page for the First Dog, but I hadn't looked at it before. Thanks to Bill at INDC Journal, now I have!

Go enjoy it - and, as Bill says, now I understand why the Arabs hate us so much! ;) LOL

A bright, lovable life

I had seen this story about this little girl, Juliana, before, but this article - Who Tends the Fires: The Face - reminds me so much of how many blessings this little girl has in the midst of her terrible trials.

Who Tends the Fire got this from Poisoning Pigeons, who links to the original news stories at First Coast News, as well as a video about Juliana.

WTtF says

...you can plainly see that this man truly loves his daughter. You can see it in his face as he holds her. He isn't looking away from her crumpled visage--he's looking into what eyes she may have and offering her a genuine, unprejudiced smile. He has chosen to overlook her deformities and find the beauty in her heart. She has to breathe through a trach tube and is fed via her stomach, but that doesn't stop them from treating her like the angel she really is.

...it is a sad fact that a child like Juliana will find herself suffering tremendous ostracism for the crime of being born without a face. What devastation! Beyond even a loss of limbs or a crooked and half-formed spine, this little girl is left bereft of the very part of the human body that conveys the bulk of her emotion to the world!

And yet--and yet--her family loves her unconditionally. They look on her with all the pride that any good parent has in endless measure, and she has flourished in the light of their warmth and devotion. She's happy, she's healthy, and her heart is as innocent and full of curiousity as any toddler's.

Suddenly all the vanity in the world is halted like so much busy traffic at a red light. Or should be... A ponderous silence descends, and good hearts are wrenched at the thought of this little girl with the crumpled visage. Her feet may carry her dancing through the streets, her arms may hug the world in a loving embrace...but her face may never smile upon those who regard her.

But there's hope. Always, there's hope.

Medicine has advanced to the point where the vain can have their sagging faces lifted and their thin lips plumped. If the image-conscious can have such a luxury, it's a sure bet that a faceless toddler can have the cherubic visage she so richly deserves.

The third news story at First Coast News talks about Hendricks Methodist Day School in Jacksonville, and what the kids there did for Juliana and her family. In three days, these kids sacrificed and worked and got together just over $3500!

At an assembly, which I assume was on 17 December, or thereabouts, the student body invited Juliana's family to receive their check, and the family was wonderfully overwhelmed. But most important was the students' reaction to little Juliana:

The students who looked a bit hesitant at the beginning were now holding Juliana as Moms snapped photos. Juliana was making a soft panting sound, her show of glee, according to people who know her well.

One young man said, "It doesn't matter what she looks like on the outside. It's how nice she is. And she's really nice."

Then another girl made a statement some would find quite remarkable. She said, "I think she's the cutest little thing."

Certainly it's a comment that doesn't come from ignorance about the disabled but rather from an understanding.

The principal says that was part of her goal. She wanted to teach a lesson on giving and also seeing the heart inside a person, no matter what the exterior looks like. Mrs. Lott says, "You bet. You bet. We want to teach them how to live their lives." That, she says, is an invaluable lesson at her school.

And all this for a lovely little girl that the likes of Planned Parenthood and Peter Singer would have tossed into a garbage heap.

God bless Juliana! May He gift her with a richly blessed life, full of joy and love!

Bad Example

From Bad Example - a new twist to Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Oh, it's too funny! Hat tip to the Alliance for setting up this whole system of pointing out to the world the Eeeeeeeevilness^tm of Eeeeeeeevil Glenn Reynolds, the so-called "Instapundit".

I mean, really - how can you help but giggle at

Every blogger
In the blogosphere
Liked the Alliance a lot...

But Evil Glenn,
Who lived atop the Ecosystem,
Did NOT!

It just gets sillier and sillier. Go have fun!

Do this NOW

Thanks to Lord Spatula, posting over at Emperor Misha's place, I have a link to this very important post over at SlagleRock's blog. This is what he's doing:

So here is what we need to do. Bloggers, I urge each and every one of you to write your own letter to the troops overseas. Make it a general open letter to any Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine. Keep in mind that the people reading these letters will be both male and female of all ages, ethnic origins and religions. Once your letter is posted, please trackback to this post so that I may find and print your letter. Please direct your readers to this effort as well. Non-bloggers, please leave your open letter of support in the comment section of this post. While it is possible for you to email me your letters, I'd like to see them in the comments so that troops overseas can access and read them online. [emphasis mine]

So go over there right now and show the troops how much they are honored and valued. Never forget, they are on the front lines every day and it's because of their sacrifices that we have the blessings of liberty.

And, now, I'm off to put in my humble contribution to the morale of the best and bravest people on earth.

UPDATE: And here is my letter to the best and the bravest.

Intellectual Honesty

Dean Esmay has got to be the most intellectually honest person that I've encountered in a long time. Mr. Esmay has openly declared that he is an atheist, yet he is quite open to the arguements presented by the Intelligent Design theorists.

I certainly would not want to put words into Mr. Esmay's mouth (and in the unlikely chance that he reads this, and I have done so, I will more than happily correct/clarify/retract and apologize, if necessary), but from what I've been reading here, here, and here (and I daresay he has more...), he seems to see merits and problems with evolution as well as ID.

DISCLAIMER: Now, as I've already made clear, I'm a creationist. I admit, since I'm not a scientist, that many of my arguments in favor of Creation are phrased Biblically, rather than scientifically. However, I have seen arguments on both sides, and the points scientific creationists have made are very persuasive to me (well, ya think?). In fact, in all honesty, some of the ideological rigidity of evolutionists drive me even more firmly away from them.

But I like debate! I like to see logical discussion to see what everyone else is thinking. Mr. Esmay's posts indicate to me that he does, too.

He's not afraid of arguments which might not fit his world view, and is willing to see valid points in a theory which is far from popular with "typical" atheists. He makes excellent observations, and is willing to make evolutionists look at their biases (and does the same for ID and creationists). He's very even handed, and keeps calm and rational and on-point.

So, I like Mr. Esmay. I'm adding his blog to my list on the right (update - left) hand column. Go check him out!

I'm sure he's wriggling with puppy-like delight at my endorsement (rolls eyes at my own hubris).

The Heart of America

Thanks to lgf, I was directed to BLACKFIVE: The Heart of America.

It was the heart of an American that sent that toy. It was the heart of an American that gave that toy to that little girl. It was the heart of an American that protected that convoy from that mine. Sure, she was a little Iraqi girl and she had no knowledge of purple mountain's majesty or fruited plains. It was a heart of acceptance, of tolerance, of peace and grace, even through the inconveniences of conflict that saved that convoy from hitting that mine. Those attributes are what keep Americans hearts beating. She may have no affiliation at all with the United States, but she knows what it is to be brave and if we can continue to support her and her new government, she will know what it is to be free.

Go read Blackfive's whole post.

Something so simple as giving a toy to a child can save lives. And isn't that true for everything? The actions and choices we make each day will determine where we'll be and how we'll be the next day.

Because someone cared enough about the Iraqi children, and because they set up the toy drive, one day the children who saw the kindness and courage of our soldiers will remember this. Perhaps that will help them see that America is a generous, open-hearted country that wants to forge true friendships in peace and freedom for all people.

(OK, OK, it's a bit sappy - but it is so true! God bless America, and God bless our troops. God bless the people who are taking simple, practical action to build a srtong friendship with the Iraqi people.)

Catblogging Friday - back again!

UPDATE: How cool is this? the Friday Ark, over at the Modulator, has linked to me for this. Welcome, thank you very much, and Merry Christmas!

UPDATE 2: Sharp as a Marble links with Carnival of the Cats #39. Welcome and a Merry Christmas!

Cute Kittens Cuddling Comfy Cozy in Clean Clothes.

There's just something so.... restful, I guess.... about snoozing purrs. Is there anything in the world that can do "comfortable" like a cat?

I hope your Thanksgivings were wonderful, and I'm now praying that your Christmas season is joyous! Enjoy the purrs, and I'm looking forward to seeing all of your purrs up to their amusing antics, too.

The bi-colored cutie is Practically Perfect Princess Pixel of the Prodigious Purr, and the white darling is Silly Sultana Smudge of the Surprising Swoop. We are merely their messengers on earth.

And don't forget that this week's Carnival of the Cats is at Sharp as a Marble!

Conspiracy theories for Moonbats!

Via Ace of Spades, and then Secure Liberty, I have another lovely toy for the Barking Moonbats! Go check this out, and tell me how much of it you believe. Any answer other than "0% belief" will indicate just how loopy you really are...

Snopes has a nice, simple de-bunk - Urban Legends Reference Pages: Rumors of War (Hunt the Boeing!) - that would be good for you to read. It's basic and clear enough that if you know how to read, you will be convinced that an airliner did, indeed, strike the Pentagon.

Geeze. Some people are really smoking some interesting stuff!

BIIIIG waves!

Via Wizbang, I was reminded of the Big Waves on O'ahu's North Shore this week (yeah, and I just missed it! grf! It would have been so fun to watch...) Although Waimea is known for big surf, waves of this height - some were 50 feet! - are uncommon.

Surfers from all over the world come to Waimea, but only the best are invited to surf in the Quicksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. Since it's beginning in 1984, the Quicksilver has only been held seven times! The huge draw for this event is the fact that a) it is only held within a two month period and b) only when the waves are at least 20 feet high, measured by the Hawaiian scale.

Articles about the competition itself, as well as more on the background may be found here, here and here.

Now that's what I call an exciting sport!

Sixty years ago at dawn

Thanks to Powerline, I was pointed to Paul Greenberg: Sixty years ago at dawn.

Von Runstedt and his staff had taken everything into account except the sheer cussedness of the American resistance. The 7th Armored held onto the crossroads at St. Vith longer than anyone would have imagined possible. And at Bastogne, the key to the battle, the 101st Airborne refused to yield at all, and entered legend.

According to the German battle plan, Bastogne was to be overrun on the second day of the operation; it never was. General Anthony McAuliffe's one-word response to the German commander's surrender terms would become a classic summation of American defiance: "Nuts!" [emphasis mine]

So our brave men and women serving in the Armed Forces have yet another, purely American, example before them. We are a nation of the most stubborn cusses in the whole world. Generally, we prefer to live and let live, but when we decide to fight, brother, look out!

Powerline adds a little more to the General's statement:

The German call for the surrender of the surrounded American forces under General McAuliffe's command at Bastogne resulted in General McAuliffe's immortal, untranslatable response. "If you don't understand what 'Nuts!' means," Colonel Joseph Harper explained to his mystified German interlocutors, "in plain English it is the same as 'Go to hell.' And I will tell you something else; if you continue to attack, we will kill every goddamn German that tries to break into this city."

To the terrorists attempting to prevent the Iraqi people from holding elections and deciding their own destiny, the Armed Forces of the United States of America say, "Nuts! We will stand with this oppressed people and refuse to bow to your murderous agenda." And if the terrorists don't understand the idiom, all they'll need to do is take a look at the number of their comrades currently pushing up daisies.

Look at what we've done before, when the odds seemed to be against us. Our determination hasn't wavered, our men and women are no less brave and honorable, and the ideals of freedom and justice are still held dear to all of us. Go ahead. Make our day.

I salute the brave men and women serving in Iraq (and Afghanistan!), and wish them "Good hunting!" God bless you, keep you safe and grant you true victory.

Christmas - one person at a time

Over at Babalu, Val Prieto shows what the Christmas spirit really is: A Caja China Christmas. I know that Steve (Hog on Ice) is a bit "disappointed," (LOL) but I'm sure he'll get over it.

One of the commenters at Babalu reminded me that "God works through you." If you are not willing to listen to Him, why should He bless you with the pleasure of this sort of service?

I pray that Val is blessed according to God's riches!

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Just Silliness....

I like Sharp as a Marble - he's got a very good sense of humor, and a wry outlook on life (at least as he presents himself on his blog).

This post - Why I'm Thinking About Boycotting "Brain Fertilizer" - is just a little bit of fun he's apparently having with a blog-buddy, Brain Fertilizer. They have a silly exchange which is a fun example of some of the ridiculous hilarity possible between blog-friends.

I like this stuff. I like having "family ties." Life can be serious, but these guys remind me that "fun" is not a four letter word! LOL ;)

My favorite joke of the week

From Rightwingsparkle.

Little Melissa comes home from first grade and tells her father that they learned about the history of Valentine's Day.

"Since Valentine's Day is for a Christian saint and we're Jewish," she asks, "will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?"

Melissa's father thinks a bit, then says "No, I don't think God would get mad. Who do you want to give a valentine to?"

"Osama Bin Laden," she says.

"Why Osama Bin Laden," her father asks in shock.

"Well," she says, I thought that if a little American Jewish girl could have enough love to give Osama a valentine, he might start to think that maybe we're not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent valentines to Osama, he'd love everyone a lot. And then he'd start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them and how he didn't hate anyone anymore."

Her father's heart swells and he looks at his daughter with newfound pride. "Melissa, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard." 

"I know," Melissa says, "and once that gets him out in the open, the Marines could blow the @#*@ out of him."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *gasp, gasp* BwahahahahahahaHAHAHAHA! Owowowow, now my sides are really hurting!  *gasp, gasp* HEHEHEHEhehehehehe! Snort, snerk! *gasp*

'Sparkle, where the heck did you get that??? Can I buy you a drink? Champagne? Excellent beer? A MaiTai?

Tracking Santa!

Wow! I knew NORAD tracked Santa each year, but I didn't know how that came to be. Thanks to Bill over at INDC Journal, I now have a link to the 2004 NORAD Tracks Santa Website.

The whole site has lots of interesting and fun things, so go check it out!

McCain, again?

Someone needs to get over himself.....

(via Drudge)

Taunton's "Fine Cooking"

UPDATE: 17Dec2004 - Carnival of Recipes #18 is now up! Welcome to my visitors from Mountaineer Musings! Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas season! (Can I add enough exclamation points?!)

Well, sarahk is hosting this week's Carnival of Recipes, so I thought I'd join in! She's complaining that she has no recipes yet - perhaps she'll like this one.

I realize that we are, in fact, past Thanksgiving, but I really love this recipe, found at A Thanksgiving Feast for Twelve? No Problem at Taunton's Fine Cooking Magazine.

My favorite is the Spiced Pecans, which I make in immense quantities just about every year! They do get gobbled up really fast....

If you don't want to link to Taunton's page, here is the recipe:

Spiced Pecans

(UPDATE 21Dec04) - Oh, dear. I was just making my batch for this year, and I realized that I make some adjustments to this recipe that I forgot to tell you about. First, I use about 20oz of pecans for this amount of spices. Second, I'm not really into extremely salty things, so I usually use only a scant 2 tsp. of salt. Oh, and I cheat - on the generous side - on the amount of syrup. Sweet is good! These adjustments make this more to my taste, and yours may find it more appetizing, too. Now back to your regularly scheduled recipe:

This recipe makes enough for the stuffing, with extra to serve as nibbles before the meal.

Yields 4 cups.

4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. each ground white pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice (or 4 tsp. quatre épices)

4 cups pecan halves (about 12 oz.)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup dark maple syrup (or 1/2 cup regular maple syrup)

Up to two weeks ahead:
Heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, toss together the salt, cayenne, white pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Add the pecans and toss well. Drizzle the melted butter over the pecans and mix well. Turn out onto a rimmed baking sheet, scraping any spices and butter from the bowl and spreading the nuts into one layer. Bake until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 9 min. Drizzle the maple syrup over the nuts, stir to combine, and bake about 10 min. longer, until the nuts turn glossy and slightly dark. Let the nuts cool in the pan for 30 min. and then scrape the nuts and any maple drippings into a bowl; break up any large clusters. Reserve 2 cups of the nuts; chop the remainder very coarsely. Label and store the chopped nuts (for the stuffing) and the whole nuts (for nibbling) separately in the freezer in zip-top bags.

Remember, this recipe is not mine, it's just one I use a lot! So make it and enjoy it and give credit to Taunton's.

Real Stars

Hat tip to the Cranky Neocon for this article: Monday Night at Morton's - 12/20/03 - Page 1 of 3.

Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails. They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer.

A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

Oh it's so good to see someone acknowledge the real heros of this country! I wish more people associated with Hollywood would speak up loudly for what America really loves....

Thank you, Gordon, for pointing this out to me!

Separated at birth?

Now, I want you to know that my husband does not read blogs. However, the first comment out of his mouth when he saw the Clinton Presidential Library was, essentially, exactly like the post at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System.

Heh. I love BMEWS! They skewer those nutty moonbats every time!

Redneck "cuhl-chah"!

Put your money where your mouth is....

Via lgf, I went over to Trying to Grok, who has this excellent article.

The Spirit of America Blogger Challenge is a worthy and truly compassionate fundraiser. I've been aware of it for a couple of weeks, but I haven't yet gone over to donate.

I'm going to rectify that oversight right now!

So, come on everyone! Let's show Iraq that, no matter our political leanings, America wants to help the Iraqi people have control of their country and success in their lives. Let's put our money where our mouths are!

(theme from Jaws)

Lurking in the depths..... Getting into position.... dun-dun...dun-da-da-dun...(OK, so I can't translate the music to words - so sue me).... It's.... Hillary^tm ! Aaaaaaaaahhh!

Peggy Noonan has some very astute observations on the political maneuvering of Ms. Clinton, who - to damn with faint praise - is certainly no idiot in this arena.

[S]he knows that a woman perceived as a liberal has no chance at winning the presidency while a woman perceived as a tough, pragmatic moderate does. So she is tough where Mr. Compassionate Conservative is soft (immigration), or is vulnerable, after a coming attack, to charges that he was soft (homeland security).   ....

And she is about to get very spiritual. She knows it's not enough to run around quoting scripture on the stump, as John Kerry did. On the other hand she cannot speak as Bush did of Christ as the center of her life because that would not be credible: She has never spoken that way and strikes no one as born again.

But she can go about it in her own way. She will begin giving interviews in which she speaks of the importance of the teachings of Christ in her thinking about policy issues. She will also begin to emphasize as never before her Methodist youth, and her hometown pastor's emphasis on public service.  ......

[A]fter the trauma of the Kerry loss, after the morass of doubt and depression in which the party now finds itself, she will seem to be one thing they really want: the person who can win. Because she is a winner. She always has been. The base will make a calculation not unlike the one she has made: We can play moderate to win, no problem.

Ms. Noonan has Hillary Clinton pegged to a "T" - go read the whole article.

Oh, Ollie!

I always enjoy new reasons to adore Oliver North:

In wine, the experts say, vintage is everything. If that's the case, 2004 has turned out to be a very bad year for the United Nations. But the United Nations' vinegar may yet prove to be a very good thing for the rest of us -- particularly if the decision is made to break open the casks, pour out the putrid contents and start over.

What a guy! Of course, my only quibble would be about the "start over" part....

In the U.S. Congress, there are calls for Annan's resignation and measures to hold corrupt U.N. officials -- now immune from prosecution -- accountable for crimes they commit "while on duty." In Baghdad, FBI investigators, working with Iraqi and U.S. Justice Department prosecutors preparing the case against Saddam Hussein and other high-level officials of his regime, are weighing how they can learn more about how U.N.-administered funds were siphoned off to buy weapons, enrich Saddam and line the pockets of mendacious foreign officials and U.N. bureaucrats. And at the U.N. headquarters, Paul Volker, perhaps prodded by tenacious investigative journalism by Fox News correspondents Eric Shawn and Jonathan Hunt, is promising a "full and fair" report that will expose who got what, even if it goes "to the top" of the U.N. pyramid.

Gee, what can I say? "So sad, too bad" comes to mind, as does "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy..." (/sarcasm)

There Is a God....

Via Wizbang, this story at  MSNBC - There is a God, leading atheist concludes.

Over the years, Flew proclaimed the lack of evidence for God while teaching at Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele and Reading universities in Britain, in visits to numerous U.S. and Canadian campuses and in books, articles, lectures and debates.

There was no one moment of change but a gradual conclusion over recent months for Flew, a spry man who still does not believe in an afterlife.

Yet biologists’ investigation of DNA “has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements which are needed to produce [life], that intelligence must have been involved,” Flew says in the new video, “Has Science Discovered God?”

Well, of course this is a far cry from the true God of the Bible, but I suppose it's a step in a generally correct direction. I would like to see this video and see what arguements are used for his conclusions.

But I must admit that my reaction to this guy is more on the order of, "Well, d'uh! Ya think?!"

Dickens classic too religious for school

From WorldNetDaily: Dickens classic too religious for school. (via Barking Moonbat Early Warning System).

Oh, please! Talk about splitting hairs, making mountains out of molehills, and being just too plain stupid to breathe!

Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat describes himself as a "secularist and agnostic," but, pointing to a wider trend, wrote yesterday "even a lifelong doubter like me can see that something crucial is being lost, especially in the schools."

"If kids can't see a Charles Dickens play, hasn't the cause of separating church and state gone too far?" he asked.

Westneat said "A Christmas Carol" may have Christian themes, but it's not religious dogma. Character Tiny Tim's delivery of one of literature's best-known lines – "God bless us, every one!" – is the story's "most overt reference to religion," he noted.

One of these days, these PC-fanatics are going to try to ban all religion everywhere. It's about time that citizens started some serious bashing with cluebats! Geeze.

You learn something new every day!

Via Wizbang, I learned a little more about two musical groups which I have enjoyed. Check it out and see if you had a similar revelation....