How Is A Mistake A Lie?

With even the Fox News Channel all wrapped around the axle about the Natalee Holloway incident, we got bored and made a trip over to Wonkette.com, just to see what they're all about.

Sigh....

Why is it that liberals refuse to grow up and accept what's really happening in the world? Well over four years later, they still can't accept the fact that Pres. Bush won the election fair and square. Which was probably no small factor in their loss in 2004. This, of course, serves only to fan the flames of their white-hot, visceral hatred of the President and blind them to the truth about anything else he does.

Including the invasion of Iraq.

Life must be very simple for those who can reduce their entire political ideology to such vacuous and pithy mantras as "Bush lied; people died". But we must raise the question of how relying on possibly faulty intel -- or any other innocent mistake -- rises to the level of misrepresentation, let alone lying.

As we've pointed out previously, when one continually calls one's enemy a liar -- no matter how shaky one's position -- quickly passes the point of diminishing returns.

This would, however, present some rather interesting scenarios in interviews with students.

"What is the sound of one hand clapping, Grasshopper?"

"It is the sound of a cowbell being rung by a butterfly, Master."

"LIAR!"

The Laugher Curve

Back in 1974, Art Laffer sketched a little graph on a cocktail napkin, showing how increases in taxation resulted in decreases in revenue, and vice versa. All these years later, the Left still doesn't understand this simple principle.

But there are other principles the Left also chooses to ignore. One is a variant of the Laffer Curve. The more extreme their anti-freedom, anti-America, anti-individual rhetoric, the less credible they are to the rest of us, and the less attention we pay them.

Not that we agree with with everything the current administration is doing. There are plenty of things with which we most vehemently disagree. But knee-jerk, vituperative invective does nothing to improve the situation, and only serves to make the opposition look desperate and disengenious. And the harder they try, the shriller they scream....
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It's No Use

"Few men desire liberty. Most men wish only for a just master."

Sallust, Roman statesman

Having observed the political scene in this country for over four decades, it is our considered opinion that there is no hope.

Someone once said that there are 4 boxes that can be used to effect political change: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the bullet box. With the possible exception of the virtual soap box in the blogosphere (the only small ray of hope there is in this situation), there is almost no dissenting opinion in this country. Pre-fabricated opinions are spoon-fed to the masses by media conglomerates more interested in profit and the cult of personality than in fulfilling its traditional role as a watchdog of the government.

The bi-factional ruling party's death grip on the electoral process has effectively frozen out such worthy minor parties as the Libertarians and the Constitution Party. Even if that were not so, more people could tell you who won the latest round of American Idol than who their representatives in Congress are.

The latest ruling from the Supreme Court should be enough proof that the judiciary itself has made a mockery of our judicial system. And the citizens of this country have done nothing to stop that. (When's the last time you got -- and weaseled out of -- a summons to jury duty?) Not one person in twenty could even tell you the real meaning of "jury nullification".

That leaves only one box. Frightening, isn't it?

So everyone sits around, saying "Tsk, tsk". But who is actually doing anything? Have you written to your representatives to demand change? Or are you too busy watching the big game? Instead of an amendment banning the burning of the flag, how about demanding an amendment to curb the abuses of eminent domain? (This can -- and should -- be done at the State level, but a Federal amendment wouldn't hurt.)

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

God help America.

Amend This

While Congress diddles around with yet another useless amendment to ban flag-burning, and the media obsesses over yet another cute young thing gone missing, the Supreme Court robs you of yet more of your rights.

What is it going to take for Americans to wake up?

Over a year ago, we agreed with Neal Boortz that he had finally found an issue that would resonate with the public and possibly get them to see the wisdom of the Libertarian Party's position on individual rights. (The War On (Some) Drugs just wasn't doing it.)

Since there is the prospect of at least one of the Supremes retiring during the current administration, the opportunity presents itself to add another, more conservative/libertarian voice to the Court. However, as we've pointed out earlier, people voted for Bush Junior to do certain things that would be properly considered "conservative". He's done none of them. What is there to make anyone expect that he will nominate a true conservative to our nation's highest court?

Perhaps the place to burn all those flags would be in front of the Supreme Court bulding.

By the way... is anyone else predicting a drop in real estate values?

UPDATE: Apparently, Neal Boortz not only agrees with us, but also predicts a drop in real estate values. (The entire column is well worth the read, if for nothing else than the links at the end.) His one error, however, is in referring to eminent domain as "right" of the government. The government has no "rights"; the government has powers, delegated to it by the consent of the governed.

Another Runaway?

We can't be the first to have thought of this, nor to express it publicly. But it needs to be expressed. Concerning the latest Missing Photogenic Female, we can't help but wonder whether her disappearance was voluntary or involuntary.

This comes, of course, on the heels of Jennifer "Cold Feet" Wilbanks (no pun intended) leaving her fiance practically at the altar. In the midst of that fiasco, more than one pundit opined that the next time some young woman went missing, search efforts would be hampered by the thought of "what if this is another Jennifer Wilbanks?".

Only time will tell.

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On The Injured List

From his wife comes word that Capt Chuck Ziegenfuss has been injured by an IED somewhere in Iraq and has been evacuated, most likely to Landstuhl Army Hospital near Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The good Captain was apparently not severely injured, as his sense of humor remains intact.

His ranks among the best of the MilBlogs, which is why we've blogrolled him here. Do keep this fine man in your prayers.

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Oh, Now He Regrets It!

Looks like Illinois' Sen. Dick Durbin might have been paid a visit by the spectre of his late predecessor Sen. Everett "When I feel the heat, I see the light" Dirksen. His outrageous comparison of American troops to Nazis, Soviet gulag workers, and Pol Pot's regime drew plenty of heat -- some of it coming from his Democrat colleagues.

In the midst of his Olympic-paced backpedaling, he remarked that "I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings..." No, Senator, that's not the problem. The problem for you is that people understood your "true feelings" quite well.

The good people of the Land of Lincoln would do well to keep an eye on the calendar with due regard for when Mr. Durbin is up for re-election.


UPDATE: It appears that Mr. Durbin's "apology" -- such as it was -- was occasioned in no small measure by the political vulnerabilities of Chicago's Mayor Daley. The plot sickens.

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No, It Was Not "Innocent"

So the jury came back with a verdict of "not guilty" against Michael Jackson. Naturally, those whose ignorance of our judicial system is surpassed only by their blind loyalty to their favorite pop star will be blathering on and on about how he was found "innocent". Nice.

As a side note, we see that CBS has pre-empted its usual programming for a half-hour "special report". We can only wonder if they'll be that fast if/when Tom DeLay is finally exonerated of all the allegations against him.

Don't hold your breath.

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Retro, Not Metro

From AFP comes the latest on the continuing sissification of men. Of course, it should be noted that this is happening in (where else?) France. The whirring sound you hear is John Wayne spinning in his grave.

For the rest of us, however, it's high time to unite and tell the rest of humanity: "We're hetero; we're retro - so DEAL WITH IT!"

Real men of the world, stand up, scratch your butts, belch, and yell "ENOUGH!". It's time for a new offensive in the culture wars: the Retrosexual movement.

The Code:

A Retrosexual man, no matter what the women insists, PAYS FOR THE DATE.

A Retrosexual man opens doors for a lady. Even for the ones who fit that term only because they are female.

A Retrosexual DEALS with IT, be it a flat tire, break-in in your home, or a natural disaster -- you DEAL WITH IT.

A Retrosexual not only eats red meat, he often kills it himself.

A Retrosexual doesn't worry about living to be 90. It's not how long you live, but how well.

A Retrosexual does not use more hair or skin products than a woman. Women have several supermarket aisles of stuff. Retrosexuals need an endcap (possibly 2 endcaps, if you include shaving goods.)

A Retrosexual does not dress in clothes from Hot Topic when he's 30 years old.

A Retrosexual should know how to properly kill stuff (or people) if need be. This falls under the "Dealing With It" portion of The Code.

A Retrosexual watches no TV show with "Queer" in the title.

A Retrosexual does not let neighbors screw up rooms in his house on national TV.

A Retrosexual should not give up excessive amounts of manliness for women. Some is inevitable, but major re-invention of yourself will only lead to you becoming a froo-froo little sissy, and in the long run, she ain't worth it.

A Retrosexual is only allowed to seek professional help for major mental stress such as addiction to alcohol or other drugs, death of your entire family in a freak tree-chipper accident, favorite sports team being moved to a different city, favorite bird dog expiring, etc. You are NOT allowed to see a shrink because Daddy didn't pay you enough attention. Daddy was busy DEALING WITH IT. When you screwed up, he DEALT with you.

A Retrosexual will have at least one outfit in his wardrobe designed to conceal himself from prey.

A Retrosexual knows how to tie a Windsor knot when wearing a tie -- and ONLY a Windsor knot.

A Retrosexual knows how to use a basic set of tools. If you can't hammer a nail or drill a straight hole, practice in secret until you can -- or be rightfully ridiculed for the wuss you be.

A Retrosexual knows that owning a gun is not a sign that you are riddled with fear; guns are TOOLS and are often essential to DEAL WITH IT. Plus, it's just plain fun to shoot.

Crying. There are very few reason that a Retrosexaul may cry, and none of them have to do with TV commercials, movies, or soap operas. Sports teams are sometimes a reason to cry, but the preferred method of release is swearing or throwing the remote control. Some reasons a Retrosexual can cry include (but are not limited to) death of a loved one, death of a pet (fish do NOT count as pets in this case), or loss of a major body part.

When a Retrosexual is on a crowded bus or a commuter train, and a pregnant woman -- heck, any woman -- gets on, that Retrosexual stands up and offers his seat to that woman, then looks around at the other so-called men still in their seats with a disgusted "you punks" look on his face.

A Retrosexual knows how to say the Pledge of Allegiance properly, and with the correct emphasis and pronunciation. He also knows the words to the Star-Spangled Banner

A Retrosexual will have hobbies and habits his wife and mother do not understand, but that are essential to his manliness, in that they offset the acceptable manliness decline he suffers when married/engaged or in a serious healthy relationship -- i.e., hunting, boxing, shot-putting, shooting, car maintenance.

A Retrosexual knows how to sharpen his own knives and kitchen utensils.

A Retrosexual man can drive in snow (hell, a blizzard) without sliding all over or driving under 20mph, without anxiety, and without high-centering his ride in a snow bank.

A Retrosexual man can chop down a tree and make it land where he wants. Wherever it lands is where he darned well wanted it to land.

A Retrosexual will give up his seat on a bus to not only any woman but any elderly person or person in military dress (except 2nd Lts). NOTE: The person in military dress may turn down the offer, but the Retrosexual man will ALWAYS make the offer to them and thank them for serving their country.

A Retrosexual man doesn't need a contract -- a handshake is good enough. He will always stand by his word, even if circumstances change or the other person deceived him.

A Retrosexual man doesn't immediately look to sue someone when he does something stupid and hurts himself. We understand that sometimes in the process of doing things, we get hurt and we just DEAL WITH IT!

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