-- This post from Joyce at "Love and Sex and Loneliness" is undoubtedly the nicest thing anyone has ever written about me...

"i love john hawkins

Everytime John Hawkins at Right Wing News links to me my hits skyrocket. I wonder if I ever actually retain any of the readers he sends my way. Anyway, it's such a rush seeing myself linked on RWN because John Hawkins is definitely one of my favorite bloggers if not the favorite. It's like being noticed by a celebrity!"

Awww, it's nice to be appreciated...

--- Bush has surged past Kerry in the polls. He has gone 7-1-1 against Kerry in the latest head to head & 3-Way Race Bush-Kerry-Nader polls. That's a change from May, when Kerry had an edge in the national polls...

-- Rachel Lucas is such a tease! Here's this incredibly talented writer/ranter, people love her work. But, just as she starts really picking up steam, getting in that 4000-5000 reader a day range, she posts less and less and eventually quits.

Then she comes back...she doesn't post as much, and now it looks like she has given up the ghost again. It just kills me that someone who can write like Rachel, who was building a huge audience, just said "forget about it". Had she kept going this whole time, she'd probably be in the 10,000-15,000 reader range, making a G a month + through blogads, and most importantly, to me at least, I'd have one more awesome daily read.

Read this column she let me post on RWN, "Michael Moore: A Psychological Analysis" and you'll see part of the reason those of us who remember Rachel from back in the day miss her writing so much...

-- Dick, Dick, Dick. It doesn't matter whether you felt better after telling Patrick Leahy to go F--- yourself or even whether he deserved to be told off. The veep should not be dropping F-bombs on the Senate floor. It's beneath the dignity of the office.

-- The GOP is going to have some heavy hitters speaking at the Republican National Convention. Not only will W speak, John Kerry's first choice for VP, John McCain, will get to say a few words and we will also see Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger, & now Zell Miller. If you ask me, that's going to blow away the Dem's "same old same old," Bill & Hill, Kerry, Al Gore, and whoever Kerry's choice for veep is. The Dems are also going to be saddled with a much earlier convention as well as losers like Al Sharpton (what, was Louis Farrakhan unavailable?) and Howard "Yeeeearrrgggghhh" Dean. The Dems will of course get a bounce from the convention, but I'll be interested to see if they go way over the top with lots of moonbattery and crazed rhetoric that will hurt them overall. It seems like that kind of year...

RWN reader Donnie Bergeron sent me a nifty modern day retelling of "The Little Red Hen" folktale that he had received in his email. I liked it and wanted to post it on RWN, so I checked Google to see if I could find out who the author was. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Ronald Reagan was the author of this story!

Hope you enjoy the Gipper's story as much as I did...

Once upon a time there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?'

"Not I, " said the cow.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Not I," said the pig.

"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Out of my classification," said the pig.

"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.

"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.

At last the time came to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.

"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.

"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen.

She baked five loaves and held them up for the neighbors to see.

They all wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I can eat the five loaves myself."

"Excess profits," cried the cow.

"Capitalist leech," screamed the duck.

"I demand equal rights," yelled the goose.

And the pig just grunted.

And they painted "unfair" picket signs and marched round and around the little red hen shouting obscenities.

When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, "You must not be greedy."

"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.

"Exactly," said the agent. "That's the wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations productive workers must divide their products with the idle."

And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, I am grateful." But her neighbors wondered why she never again baked any more bread.

Not-Bushness Key to Dem’s Appeal, Poll Suggests

In a new Time/CNN poll released today, a majority of voters supporting Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) for president agreed with the statement, “He is not George Bush.”

The poll results seem to indicate that Mr. Kerry’s status as someone who is not President Bush is pivotal to his appeal among those who support him.

Of those surveyed, 98% said they believed that John Kerry was not George Bush, with a scant 2% answering “Don’t know.”

Asked to name the issue that concerned them most, 9% of Kerry voters named “improving the economy,” 12% named “fighting terrorism,” and a whopping 79% named “electing someone who is not George Bush.”

“With weeks to go until our convention, it’s significant that so many voters already believe that John Kerry is not George Bush,” said Kerry strategist Bob Shrum. “Once our ad buys get underway, we expect the number of people believing John Kerry is not George Bush will only increase.”

Perhaps in response to the poll results, the Bush campaign today responded with a series of ads intended to plant seeds of doubt in the voters’ minds about whether or not John Kerry is, in fact, not George Bush.

Emphasizing that both men went to Yale and were members of the secret society Skull and Bones, the new ads end with an announcer saying, “John Kerry: maybe he is George Bush.”

Libby McCleod, a Kerry supporter in the battleground state of Ohio, said she was “troubled” by the ad and was now considering voting for Ralph Nader: “He’s still not Bush, right?”

If you enjoyed this satire by Andy Borowitz, you can read more of his work at The Borowitz Report.

Most conservatives are absolutely baffled by the liberal perspective on foreign policy and defending America. That's because many of the left's positions seem totally counterintuitive....well, for Americans. Their views would make perfect sense if say an Iranian mullah or Iraqi insurgent held them. But, that's neither here nor there, since the goal of this column is to explain how the left looks at foreign policy, not why.

So, imagine yourself to be a liberal. I know that'll be quite difficult for many of you, but just pretend you're wearing a tie-dye shirt and Birkenstocks, chant "no blood for oil" a few times, and then try to muster up some sympathy for the endangered Howling Dung Beetle and that should put you in the right frame of mind.

Now that you're thinking like a liberal, like a Michael Moore or Ted Kennedy, perhaps it'll be easier to understand why you...

...think that fighting back against terrorism is futile because it creates a cycle of violence. So you see killing terrorists only produces more terrorists? Just as killing Nazis in WW2 only produced more Nazis & bombing Hiroshima led to huge upsurges in Japanese recruiting. (Cont)

I spent most of the night working on a column that I wasn't able to finish. Normally, I'd try to plod through and punch it out tonight, but it's already 1:20 AM and I am really dragging from skipping on my sleep all those other nights this week. ***Yawn***. So, sadly, tragically, you'll have to wait until tomorrow night to read my column poking fun at the left's bizarre foreign policy views.

Anyway, I have got to get some zzzz's since I'm about to keel over here. Catch ya tomorrow...

***Update #1***: Ok, so I get home from work and I am completely exhausted. So exhausted that I decide to go for a hour long nap, foul up the alarm clock, and wake up a full 3 hours later. Naturally, that put me a bit off schedule. But, never fear, I'll get in the full update. The column comes first and that is almost finished...

***Update #2***: RightThinkingGirl, email me. There's something I want to discuss with you. Thanks.

Once again, I'm stealing David Letterman's intellectual property...

9. "He got 'special sauce' all over my copy."

8. "No, I don't want you to sign my breasts as well."

7. "Hell no, I'm not going to read all this... but I will beat to death my rival drug dealer with it. Beating someone to death with a presidential memoir… now that's kill'n with class!"

6. "I think I saw a woman under the table he's seated at. I wonder what she's doing?"

5. "Come on! Just stand next to me and say, 'I did not have sex with that woman!' while my friend films. It'll be cool! Oh! And do that thing with your thumb and lip!"

4. "I know I'm just a kid, but you're a big inspiration to me and... No, I don't know if my mother is being properly satisfied by my father. Why do you ask?"

3. "No! Sign it with your pen!"

2. "I like how he said how dedicated he is to the women's movement... or did he say he 'likes how women move'?"

And the number one thing overheard at a Bill Clinton book signing…

"Aww... I thought this was the line to meet Carter!"

If you enjoyed this satire from Frank J., you can read more of his work at IMAO.

Is this a creepy pic of my dog Patton or what? I found it in my digital camera's downloads folder from back in March and the only thing I did to it was changed the size...

Creepy, creepy, creepy...

***Update #1***: On the other hand...

I have read an ENORMOUS number of books in my life. I've hit everything from horror to history, politics, fiction, fantasy, psychology, to true crime. I know I've read a 1000+ books in my life easy even though I'm probably only chewing through 20-25 books a year these days because I'm so busy with RWN.

Lately, I've been focusing more on history & politics and I've got a large backlog of books that I've bought, been given as gifts, or that were sent to me by publishers hoping to get a review.

Just for the heck, I thought you might like to see the next few books I already have on the shelf, ready to read. If any of you have read these books, maybe you can give me a review...

Just Finished: Michael Savage -- "The Savage Nation"
Currently Reading: Thomas Sowell -- "The Vision Of The Annointed"

Next Up

Peter Collier & David Horrowtiz -- "Destructive Generation"
Craig S. Davis -- "The Middle East For Dummies"
Oriana Fallaci -- "The Rage And The Pride"
Milton & Rose Friedman -- "Free To Choose"
F.A. Hayek -- "The Road To Serfdom"
Joseph Heller -- "Catch-22"
Robert Heinlein -- "Time Enough For Love"
Thomas Paine -- "Common Sense"
Patrick Sauer -- "The Complete Idiot's Guide To The American Presidents"
Joseph Wheelan -- "Jefferson's War"

Tomorrow is the big nationwide debut of Michael Moore's new movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11". So, as a tribute to the most popular author and film maker on the left, I've decided to post some of Michael Moore's best quotes.

Enjoy!

PS: If I left any great MM quotes out, put them in the comments section and if I like them, I'll add them in later tonight.

---

"If someone did this [9/11] to get back at Bush, then they did so by killing thousands of people who DID NOT VOTE for him! Boston, New York, D.C., and the planes' destination of California -- these were places that voted AGAINST Bush!" -- Michael Moore On 9/12/2001

"There is no terrorist threat in this country. This is a lie. This is the biggest lie we've been told." -- Michael Moore, October 2003

"In terms of marketing (Fahrenheit 9/11), Front Row is getting a boost from organisations related to Hezbollah which have rung up from Lebanon to ask if there is anything they can do to support the film. And although Chacra says he and his company feel strongly that Fahrenheit is not anti-American, but anti-Bush, 'we can’t go against these organisations as they could strongly boycott the film in Lebanon and Syria.'"

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not "insurgents" or "terrorists" or "The Enemy." They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win."

"I'm sorry, but the majority of Americans supported this war once it began and, sadly, that majority must now sacrifice their children until enough blood has been let that maybe -- just maybe -- God and the Iraqi people will forgive us in the end."

"Unfortunately, Bush and Co. are not through yet. This invasion and conquest will encourage them to do it again elsewhere. The real purpose of this war was to say to the rest of the world, "Don't Mess with Texas - If You Got What We Want, We're Coming to Get It!"

"I would like to apologize for referring to George W. Bush as a 'deserter.' What I meant to say is that George W. Bush is a deserter, an election thief, a drunk driver, a WMD liar, and a functional illiterate. And he poops his pants"

"(Americans) are possibly the dumbest people on the planet ... in thrall to conniving, thieving, smug pr*cks. We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don’t know about anything that’s happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing.”

"DO YOU FEEL like you live in a nation of idiots? I used to console myself about the state of stupidity in this country by repeating this to myself: Even if there are two hundred million stone-cold idiots in this country, that leaves at least eighty million who will get what I'm saying..." -- P. 85 of "Stupid White Men"

"(T)he dumbest Brit here is smarter than the smartest American". -- Michael Moore At London’s Roundhouse Theater

"On his North American tour in support of Dude, Where’s My Country, Moore substituted Canadians for Britons, telling audiences that the “dumbest Canadian” in attendance could surely outwit 'the smartest American.'" -- Moorewatch

"Should such an ignorant people (Americans) lead the world?" -- Michael Moore in an open letter to the people of Germany

"There's a gullible side to the American people. They can be easily misled. Religion is the best device used to mislead them."

"I like America to some extent." -- Michael Moore's response after being asked "You do not seem to like the U.S., do you?"

"Moore wrote he'd once been "forced" to listen to my comments on a TV chat show, The McLaughlin Group. I had whined "on and on about the sorry state of American education," Moore said, and wound up by bellowing: "These kids don't even know what The Iliad and The Odyssey are!" Moore's interest was piqued, so the next day he said he called me. "Fred," he quoted himself as saying, "tell me what The Iliad and The Odyssey are." I started "hemming and hawing," Moore wrote. And then I said, according to Moore: "Well, they're . . . uh . . . you know . . . uh . . . okay, fine, you got me--I don't know what they're about. Happy now?" He'd smoked me out as a fraud, or maybe worse. The only problem is none of this is true. It never happened. Moore is a liar. He made it up. It's a fabrication on two levels. One, I've never met Moore or even talked to him on the phone. And, two, I read both The Iliad and The Odyssey in my first year at the University of Virginia. Just for the record, I'd learned what they were about even before college." -- Fred Barnes

"You know in my town the small businesses that everyone wanted to protect? They were the people that supported all the right-wing groups. They were the Republicans in the town, they were in the Kiwanas, the Chamber of Commerce - people that kept the town all white. The small hardware salesman, the small clothing store salespersons, Jesse the Barber who signed his name three different times on three different petitions to recall me from the school board. F*ck all these small businesses - f*ck 'em all! Bring in the chains. The small businesspeople are the rednecks that run the town and suppress the people. F*ck 'em all. That's how I feel."

"White people scare the crap out of me. … I have never been attacked by a black person, never been evicted by a black person, never had my security deposit ripped off by a black landlord, never had a black landlord … never been pulled over by a black cop, never been sold a lemon by a black car salesman, never seen a black car salesman, never had a black person deny me a bank loan, never had a black person bury my movie, and I've never heard a black person say, 'We're going to eliminate ten thousand jobs here - have a nice day!'"

"It was when Moore went into a rant about how the passengers on the planes on 11 September were scaredy-cats because they were mostly white. If the passengers had included black men, he claimed, those killers, with their puny bodies and unimpressive small knives, would have been crushed by the dudes, who as we all know take no disrespect from anybody." -- From an article by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown describing a Michael Moore show in London

"Since September 11, the Bush Administration has used that tragic event as a justification to rip up our constitution and our civil liberties. And I honestly believe that [with] one or two September 11s martial law will be declared in our country and we're inching towards a police state."

"The Patriot Act is the first step. "Mein Kampf" -- "Mein Kampf" was written long before Hitler came to power. And if the people of Germany had done something early on to stop these early signs, when the right-wing, when the extremists such as yourself (Bob Novak), decide that this is the way to go, if people don't speak up against this, you end up with something like they had in Germany. I don't want to get to that point."

"The motivation for war is simple. The U.S. government started the war with Iraq in order to make it easy for U.S. corporations to do business in other countries. They intend to use cheap labor in those countries, which will make Americans rich."

"I think (Bin Laden is under the protective watch of) the United States, I think our government knows where he is and I don't think we're going to be capturing him or killing him any time soon." -- Michael Moore in an interview with Bob Costas

***Update #1:***: Lee from Right Thinking From The Left Coast and MooreWatch sent me a really nifty flyer that they're encouraging people to pass out outside of theaters where "Faherenheit 9/11" is showing. The flyer, which you can see here (.PDF file) had some nifty Michael Moore quotes which I checked out and then added to the original post.

Since prominent, mainstream Democrats like Tom Harkin, Terry McAuliffe, Tom Daschle, Barbara Boxer, & Paul Begala are all apparently either endorsing Michael Moore's new film or are at least on the guest list to attend the premier, I think some important questions should be asked of them. I mean if they approve of this movie, if Moore is part of the "Democratic mainstream," do they endorse some of Michael Moore's other views?

For example, do mainstream Democrats have no problem with terrorist groups like Hezbollah? Do they believe we know where Bin Laden is and are allowing him to roam free deliberately? Do they believe Americans "are possibly the dumbest people on the planet"? Do they think there is "no terrorist threat in this country"?

You know what I'd truly love to watch? A press conference where they just read off Michael Moore quotes, one after the other, to prominent Democrats like Tom Harkin & Terry McAuliffe and then asked them "do you agree with that"? Then after they had to say "no," oh let's say 10 or 15 times in a row, I'd love to see someone ask them, "then why are you plugging his movie"? It would be a thing of beauty to watch....

Today, I decided to keep track of all the blogs I hit. Keep in mind that the list is in order and only blogs, not websites, were included.

This list ranges from blogs I regularly check, to ones I hit occasionally, and there are even a few blogs I've never been to before. Hopefully, this will help you find a few new blogs to peruse.

Oh, and remember that I regularly sift through this many blogs and probably an equal number of websites each day while I'm putting together RWN. And yes, as you probably guessed, I read much, much, faster than the average person...

Right Thinking From The Left Coast
The Corner
Love And Sex And Loneliness (Transcended)
Political Junky
Tim Blair
Moxie
Damian Penny
Michelle Malkin
IMAO
Love And Sex And Loneliness (Transcended)
Slant Point
HobbsOnline A.M.
Sharp As A Marble
Buzz Machine
Inappropriate
Captain's Quarters
Instapundit
Dust In The Light
Rachel Lucas
Dummocrats
Ritalin
The Spice Must Flow
Crush Kerry
Belmont Club
Instapundit
GlennReynolds.com
Kausfiles
Asymmetrical Information
Iraq The Model
QandO
Kinshasa On The Potomac
Pejmanesque
It Comes In Pints?
JunkYardBlog
JusTalkin
Allah Is In The House
INDC Journal
Scrappleface
Right Thinking Girl
Museum Of Left Wing Lunacy Blog
Joanne Jacobs
The Corner
The Terriorists
The Truth Laid Bear Blogosphere Ecosystem
The Bleat
Kerry Haters
Right-Wing & Right Minded - Est. 2003
Inoperable Terran
La Shawn Barber's Corner
Cox & Forkum
Betsy's Page
The Corner
Hugh Hewitt
Croooow Blog
Pejmanesque
I Love Jet Noise
Little Green Footballs
Instapundit
DANEgerus Weblog
A Small Victory
Michelle Malkin

A meeting between presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry and possible running mate Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO) has created a mysterious black hole in the universe that could eventually swallow Earth and all of its inhabitants, scientists said today.

Dr. Carlton Hong, an astrophysicist at the University of Minnesota, said that shortly after the two top Democrats sat down to talk, “pools of extremely low energy began to form” creating “what can only be described as a creepy, black-hole-like vacuum.”

Dr. Hong said that the black hole created by Messrs. Kerry and Gephardt now has a life of its own and threatens to devour the planet Earth and the rest of the solar system along with it.

“If Kerry picks Gephardt for the ticket, there is a distinct possibility that this black hole could expand and swallow the entire universe,” Dr. Hong said.

But shortly after Dr. Hong made his dire prediction, an aide to Rep. Gephardt said that the congressman remains “upbeat” about his chances of snagging the number two slot despite the ominous black hole he helped trigger.

“If Dick somehow helped created a black hole that threatens the universe, that’s the most exciting thing he’s ever done in his political career,” the aide said.

In other news from the world of science, NASA reported today that it has lost radio contact with Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH).

After three days of radio silence, officials at mission control fear a premature end to Mr. Kucinich’s campaign, which had been scheduled to last until the year 2030.

If you enjoyed this satire by Andy Borowitz, you can read more of his work at the Borowitz Report.

"And many writers have imagined for themselves republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality; for there is such a gap between how one lives and how one ought to live that anyone who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation: for a man who wishes to profess goodness at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not good." -- Niccolo Machiavelli

Americans are subjected daily to a barrage of criticism, an endless litany of America's offenses that are usually blown out of all proportion to reality. In fact, America is treated by many people, more than a few of them citizens of this country, like the primary cause of everything that's wrong with the world.

Well, I utterly reject that view. Before you rip America...

-- Name a country that has freed more people from tyranny?
-- Name another country that powers the world economy the way we do?
-- Name another country that has had our level of military superiority over the rest of the world that hasn't used it for conquest?
-- Remember which nation is standing between the Chinese and Taiwan?
-- Remember which nation is standing between South & North Korea?
-- Remember who's sticking with Israel against its genocidal neighbors?
-- Ask yourself which nation is the heart and soul of NATO?
-- Ask yourself which nation has done more to fight Communism or terrorism?
-- Name a country that has done more for the world than the United States?

The truth is that the United States has done more make this planet a better place to live than any other 10 nations combined.

But, that doesn't faze the sort of people who seem to believe that freedom & democracy is something civilized people talk about over caviar with Kofi Annan, not something you're supposed to risk blood and treasure for. America doesn't look at it like that and that's why they call us "cowboys".

Well let me tell ya something pard, not only are we cowboys, we're every character Clint Eastwood & John Wayne ever played all rolled into one. While "shopkeeper nations" talk the talk, but hide like rabbits when there's trouble, our country, and our "posse", nations like Britain, Australia, Italy, & Poland, are out walking the walk.

So, let people whine about this country if they want to. Despite all their protests to the contrary, they know we're the living embodiment of that Jack Nicholson quote from "A Few Good Men"...

"[M]y existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because, deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand at post. Either way, I don't give a d@mn what you think you are entitled to."

You can call that flag waving or bragging about this country if you want, but where I'm from, down here in North Carolina, they say it isn't bragging if you're telling the truth. And the truth is, and I say this in all seriousness, the United States is not just the crown jewel of Western civilization, we are the best thing that has ever happened to this planet.

Mike Melvill, the world's first private-industry astronaut, said today that as SpaceShipOne reached the zenith of its 62-mile high space flight, he caught a glimpse of the upper edge of the hype surrounding former President Bill Clinton's new memoir, My Life.

"I saw the curvature of the earth's atmosphere, the blackness of outer space and shimmering crest of the Clinton book hyposphere," said Mr. Melvill.

His discovery may put to rest the debate in the scientific community over whether the hype ever comes to an end.

"From what I saw," said Mr. Melvill, "I think the Clinton book hype eventually folds in on itself, collapsing to form dense, cloudy mass."

If you enjoyed this satire by Scott Ott, you can read more of his work at Scrappleface.

This sort of attitude, common though it may be, has always really bugged me,

"Young black Americans -- the "hip-hop generation" -- need to turn their emotional rhetoric into political action, most importantly by voting on Election Day, a gathering of black activists said on Saturday.

The activists were among 3,000 people who met in Newark, New Jersey, for the National Hip-Hop Political Convention, which ended on Saturday. Their mission: educate, motivate and unite young black Americans so they can elect more black politicians."

Notice that they're not trying to motivate young black Americans to elect people who represent their interests, they're trying to get them to "elect more black politicians". What, white Americans can't represent their interests? Ted Kennedy or Diane Feinstein can't represent the interests of black liberals just as well Charles Schumer or Elijah Cummings because of their skin color?

Most of us, if we knew a white guy who said, "My goal is to elect more white politicians" or "Colin Powell doesn't represent me as Secretary of State because he's black," would trash him, and rightfully so, as a racist.

Moreover, this sort of thinking is why places like Afghanistan are such hellholes. "So what if he looks at things the way I do? I'm a Tajik and he's a filthy Pashtun! No Pashtun can represent a Tajik!" We should be beyond that sort of attitude in a country like the United States.

That's why people who believe America should be a colorblind, who believe that people should be judged on their merits, not their skin color, should stand up and speak out against these sorts of backwards, racist attitudes, no matter what the color of the person holding them is.

Democrat presidential hopeful John Forbes Kerry today revealed that his support for expanding the use of taxpayer dollars to do research on embryonic stem cells comes from a "deep feeling of affinity" that he shares with the stem cells.

"I admire stem cells," said Mr. Kerry, who is a U.S. Senator. "I admire them because you don't know what they're going to be yet, and they could be anything. As the situation demands, they could become brain, blood or sinew. And they're not ashamed of being adaptable to the exigencies of the moment."

While research has shown that adult stem cells, which can be harvested without killing the human, might be more effective with fewer negative consequences, Mr. Kerry said he still supports embryonic stem cell research since it "makes practical use of a plentiful natural resource, the byproduct of a woman's right to choose."

"It's environmentally friendly to recycle this waste product, rather than to allow it to clog our nation's overflowing landfills," he said.

If you enjoyed this satire from Scott Ott, you can read more of his work at Scrappleface.

Judging by how non-seriously the left treats the threat of terrorism, you almost have to wonder if this is how liberals believe that Al-Qaeda works like this...

AL-QAEDA INTERNATIONAL, LLC
Date: October 1st, 1999
From: Osama Bin Laden, C.E.O, AQI
To: Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, C.O.O, AQI
Re: North American Project

I received your request for your North American project and according to my recollections, we discussed whether the operation would be feasible.

Our legal department has gone over all of the pre-planning and, at this time, there is a concern that the plan might violate the Geneva Conventions. As the legal department stated, we must do every thing earthy possible to comply with the Geneva Conventions, even though we are not a signatory. It just would be wrong to do otherwise.

Also, it appears that the crew that you have for this operation includes 15 Saudis. This too may cause a problem with the Equal Opportunity Commission. The Equal Opportunity Commission hiring guidelines clearly state that “…any terrorist operations equal or in excess of four planes, must have a mixed crew of 25% Chechnyans, 25% Palestinians, 25% Syrians, and a minimum of 10% Afghanis.” Also, they are pressing us to use more women.

I am also concerned that using four planes might cause the American people to really dislike us, especially if we strike around Christmas or Easter, and it's very important to try to win their hearts and minds.

Furthermore, the finance department said that the four plane option might cause a slight operational deficit, and our backers are concerned that our grandchildren might have to pay for the operation. There are also reports that the required funding documentation has not been properly filed out.

We have several options are our disposal. We could warn the people of New York, DC, and LA and give them time to flee before the planes hit. But this would complicate matters, in that this may seriously hinder the effectiveness of the operation.

Therefore, the board has determined that the operation be put on hold until a solution can be found.

One suggestion from one of our stockholders, MA, suggested that we simply try to talk things out if Al Gore wins the election. We will have no choice but to go through with the operation if George Bush wins, because he's obviously an evil, Nazi-loving, chimp who will grab all the Middle-Eastern oil. But, Al Gore will understand that Gandhi was right when he said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". Him, we can talk too.

I want your comments on my desk before the Ramadan Holiday, so that I can get to it when I get back from vacation. Let us pray to Allah that Al Gore wins so that we do not have to perpetuate the cycle of violence.

Yours Truly

Osama Bin Laden

-- I caught "Chronicles of Riddick" this week-end and I wasn't exactly blown away. Yes, Vin Diesel's Riddick character was just as entertaining as he was in "Pitch Black," but believe it or not, this was an action film with way, way, too much plot. You had 1/2 dead invasion fleets wiping out planets, bounty hunters, prison breaks, Riddick trying to find Jack (the little girl from the last movie), a "Pitch Black-like" run across a planet's surface, machiavellian plots in the invading force, elementals, Furians...it felt like this was the middle of 6 part mini-series. And this is compared to the original movie which was basically "we have to get away before the creatures eat us". The core of the movie was Riddick killing people and making wisecracks and the rest of it was mostly fluff. Thumbs in the middle.

-- I've noticed that they're doing yet another King Arthur. What a waste. I mean, it's not as if there haven't already been some excellent movies covering Arthurian Legend ("First Knight" & "Excalibur" anyone?).

Here's a suggestion for someone who wants to do those kinds of movies: How about a movie that covers Cortes vs. Aztecs or the Barbary war? In the Cortes movie, you have vastly outnumbered conquistadors fighting evil, human sacrificing savages. The Aztecs were actually dragging Cortes men away from the fighting and sacrificing them on the alter. It's an incredible story.

But, in these days, a movie about the Barbary War might be even better. You could do a nice, patriotic movie, with Thomas Jefferson, Steven Decatur, Islamic pirates ranting about American infidels, "Millions For Defense, Not A Penny For Tribute", "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong"...that would a rockin' movie if they did it right.

-- A while back, on a lark, I sent Matt Drudge an email offering him a 1000 bucks for a permanent link on the Drudge Report. A G is a heck of a lot of money for me and I really didn't know how much traffic it would bring in, but given how big Drudge is and that his audience is just my type (politically active), I figured it would be worth it. Unfortunately, Drudge never replied.

But today, while I was perusing Andrew Sullivan's, I found out it would have been $1k well spent. I say that because Sullivan does have a Drudge permalink and in 21 weeks or so, Drudge has sent him 851,537 referrers, which comes out to roughly 5800 sets of eyeballs per day.

All I can say is too bad that Drudge wasn't dying to blow a $1000 when I made that offer....of course, if anybody knows Drudge, tell him the offer still stands =D

-- Here are sentiments I agree with completely from James Lileks latest bleat,

For the last few weeks I’ve had this gnawing belief that bin Laden got lucky by attacking during Bush’s term. Conventional wisdom says the opposite, because Bush fought back. But he’s the enemy now. I ask my Democrat friends what they’d rather see happen – Bush reelected and bin Laden caught, or Bush defeated and bin Laden still in the wind. They’re all honest: they’d rather see Bush defeated. (They’re quick to insist that they’d want Kerry to get bin Laden ASAP. Although the details are sketchy.) ....Perhaps this is why I haven’t written much about the subject lately with the usual chest-thumping brio: I think it’s going to have to get much worse before we get clarity."

Like I've said before, defending America is now a partisan issue and while I'm hoping for the best, I wouldn't be surprised if in the end, we end up paying for that with more of blood and treasure than we've lost anytime lost since WW2.

One man is dead which means little in the scheme of things, a lot for one family, and everything for Paul Johnson.

I wonder what the terrorists who captured him were thinking - like my understanding will make much difference. They knew neither Saudi Arabia or the U.S. would negotiate with them, so why even attempt it?

Then again, what do I care what the terrorist think? The different sides on the debate about terror reminds of a parody article from The Onion book Our Dumb Century. It was headlined:

Campaign '80

Which Message Will Resonate with Voters?

Even in parody, Reagan had the right idea.

These people want us dead, and we don't need to try and win them over. We need to kill them.

Some will say that will only create more bin Laden's. Fine. We'll kill them too. Believe me, at some point they will run out. They point is, every time they push, we have to push back harder. Otherwise they will see weakness, and they will hit us harder and harder until we finally are forced to respond, and, if we act weak enough, they may one day hit us with something so devastating that we have no choice but to use the bomb against them.

And that comes to my small little revelation when reflecting upon all this: we are not the ones most at risk here. It's the people of the Middle East - millions and millions of them - who may end up dying if they can't get their act together. If they can't control the terrorists, we may have to act in overwhelming force to protect ourselves, and, in any situation, many more of them will die than ever will in America, even if the Isalmo-fascists get their grubby hands on a bomb or two.

That's why resolve is important. We have to show them that we are some bloodthirsty sons of bitches who will demand a pound of flesh for every time we are scratched. Screw whether the Europe likes us or not. Screw whether people in the Middle East like us or not. Screw whether the governments are force-feeding their people propaganda against us or not. Screw whether Islam is capable of peace or not. We need to get in there and kill indiscriminately anyone who threatens us, regardless of what country's permission we get.

We need to be one bold voice: We are America, and, if you try and stand between us and our safety, we will hurt you.

I need to do something, and the best I can figure is to make sure people know who are enemy is, what they do, what they believe, and who they killed. Then the battle cry among the people will be, "Kill the b@stards!" drowning out any whines from the few liberal hold-outs.

Any other attitude than that, and more people will die... on both sides.

Or at least that's how I see it. Just felt I had to say something.

They killed Paul Johnson.

Rest in peace.

If you enjoyed this column by Frank J., you can read more of his work at IMAO.

I know some of you probably haven't seen Bill Clinton's official portrait that was unveiled at the White House last week, so I thought I'd post it on RWN...

Heh, heh, heh. Courtesy of Fark.

I found out that I got a mention in an MSNBC article last month called, "Media takes heat from administration over Iraq. When the going gets tough, the messenger gets shot".

Here's the quote...

"A report released Monday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that most journalists feel the Bush administration got a free pass after the attacks of Sept. 11. In a poll of journalists and news executives, Pew reports that “the poll finds that many journalists —­ especially those in the national media — believe that the press has not been critical enough of President Bush. Majorities of print and broadcast journalists at national news organizations believe the press has been insufficiently critical of the administration.”

But journalists see this quite differently."

Interestingly enough, while the author, Michael Moran, linked the Pew Poll, he didn't link any of the other people quoted in the article, liberal or conservative (here's the original piece that quote came from).

So as far as I can tell, looking back at my statistics, I got almost zero traffic from a link on MSNBC, the 848th biggest website on the internet according to Alexa.

I do appreciate the mention, but a hyperlink would have probably been worth...oh, I'm going to guess, at least 25k daily uniques? Ah well, I guess expecting big media to link the competition is too much to ask...

On Friday of last week, I was quite pleased to get an opportunity to do a phone interview with Linda Chavez. You may know Linda Chavez from her radio show, her widely read syndicated column, or perhaps from her numerous appearances on shows like "CNN & Co.," "The McLaughlin Group," "Equal Time" and "The Newshour with Jim Lehrer."

I spoke with Linda Chavez about a number of subjects including Affirmative Action, the Federal Marriage Amendment, Al Franken, assimilating immigrants, & topics related to her new book, "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics".

You can read the interview by clicking here.