This is my exact inner structure, done in a tee shirt. Exactly medically accurate. See?

This is great news on the Spinal Tap reunion/ charity concert. I especially like the bit that Rob Reiner put together a 15 minute reunion film and can't wait to see it.

I can no longer sit back and allow Communist subversion and the Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

With the death of Boris Yeltsin I am reminded of the times that led up to his famous moment in history. This ABC clip sums up the collapse of the Soviet Union without (thankfully) bringing Ronald Reagan's "tear down this wall" babbling into the mix.





Yeltsin had a reputation as a drunk, an intellectual lightweight and a buffoon. I don't give a rat's ass. I'll always remember him as the man who stood on top of that tank in Red Square and gave history another push.

I hope there's vodka in heaven because I'm toasting a great man today.

I have killed for my country, or whatever, and I don't feel good about it.

Via Crooks and Liars we have this.

WASHINGTON – Bill and Georgia Thomas reported they were elated Monday when they met in the Oval Office with President George W. Bush to present him with a Purple Heart."

We were just absolutely bowled over. Without reservation, it was one of the highlights of our life. He was such a gracious host," Thomas said. "It was just an incredible, incredible experience."

The couple was able to meet with President Bush for about 20 minutes to present him with one of three Purple Hearts that Bill Thomas received during his service in Vietnam.

(snip)

Thomas said he and his wife came up with the unprecedented idea to present the president with the Purple Heart over breakfast one morning a few months ago as they discussed the verbal attacks, both foreign and domestic, the commander in chief has withstood during his time in office.

"We feel like emotional wounds and scars are as hard to carry as physical wounds," Thomas said.

Thomas even wrote a citation which reads in part-

...Cap-i-tan Bush was leading a patrol Sector 17-A Kennibunkport Grid 22 on or around 0800 hours when he came under small-pretzel fire by an unknown number of enemy hostiles. In an attempt to engage the enemy in the opposite direction CPT Bush flipped his Sedgeway and had to confront the enemy directly. CPT Bush proceeded to hurl his arsenal of invective including "evildoers" and "I'm the Decider" at the enemy forces but remained pinned-down until the enemy forces caught sight of his uniform and the girth of his codpiece and fled.

In this confrontation CPT Bush received a scrape on his knee and had his wittle feewers hurt for which this Officer recommends he receive a purple heart for injuries in the line of duty.

Because it's not our bloody war.

If this is to be believed than I think Democrats may have a bigger problem than they realize.

Democrats will still have to line up votes to pass the final version, which is known as a conference report, and could lose some support from those House Democrats who might not be satisfied with the more amorphous withdrawal goal rather than a firm date. But the leadership is confident that it can secure the votes necessary, arguing that the party cannot afford to fall short now. Members of the Out of Iraq Caucus have indicated they will not try to derail the final bill.

The Out of Iraq Caucus which I assume is made up of members of the Progressive Caucus seems to have trouble with standing up for themselves here. Perhaps they should look to the much smaller in numbers Blue Dogs to see how concessions are won.

Progressives have compromised enough on this crap. We've gone from completely defunding and ordering the troops withdrawn to suggesting dates for withdrawing to "withdrawal goals." No more compromises. Hell, every day we don't impeach Bush's sorry ass is a compromise of a sort.

Draw a line in the sand here, people.

I'll be good I swear...I'll never go see another movie again

Quint over at AICN has a review of the movie "Vacancy" (which I have no interest in seeing- ever) that begins by ripping one of the biggest issues I have with going to the movies these days: obnoxious, loud, rude theater-goers that talk through the whole damn movie.

The Alamo Draft House with the strict no-talking policy that he mentions just happens to be the dream business I'd like to own someday. It's franchised throughout Texas and a couple of steps past Cinetopia or any of theater/ restaurants we have out this way. If anybody has a spare million in capital please let me know...

And now, ladies and gentlemen, as I look into your faces, and believe me, some of your faces need looking into...

John McCain pulls a Shatner and tells critics of his joke about bombing Iran to "get a life."

“Please, I was talking to some of my old veterans friends,” he told reporters. “My response is, Lighten up and get a life.”

When reporters asked if the joke was insensitive, McCain said: “Insensitive to what? The Iranians?” MSNBC 3-20-2007

It's a JOKE, get it? Sure it the idea that the U.S. would send the Middle East into an apocalyptic turmoil by bombing Iran sends chills down the spine of any thinking person by McCain was just making a funny with his buddies so lighten up. He didn't even get into his holocaust material and his joke about the VT shootings which is always a crowd pleaser.

It's

A

Joke

(Like the McCain candidacy itself.)

They opened up the door down here, and the whole Cuban & Nicaraguan armies come walking right through, rolled right up here through the Great Plains.

In a television interview (audio here) regarding the Vietnam war Bobby Kennedy said the following-

I think that what we are doing in South Vietnam is a mistake. I think the course that we are following is in error. But, I am saying that as a United States Senator and want to have what I say analized on tht basis. I've always said unless it is clear that its their war and we are over there to help them that we can't win.

Now they have had corruption and lack of land reform, They failed to put in the democratic procedures that we should have and the democratic processes.

Unless they change,unless there is a drastic change, the people of South Vietnam are not going to feel the loyalty to them to Saigon -rather to the Vietcong and feel that its worth while- they're making the sacrifice -they're making the effort.

Why isn't it for instance in the battle of Dakto. Why hasn't it been the South Vietnamese that has gone up that hill? Why hasn't it beent the South Vietnamese army thats been in the demilitirized zone and stayed there? Why does it always have to be Americans?

I think they should do it. They should carry the burden. Now if they are going to do more of that and the North Vietnamese will not escalate which I expect they will. And the Russians can send them far more sophisticated weapons than they have already. If both of those things come true, I think we will be well on our way to winning the war.

I think there has to be a one hundred and eighty degree turn on the part of the South Vietnamese and there has to be a complete change of policy in North Vietnam. I haven't seen any indications of this up to the present time.

I would to see the South Vietnamese do more. I would to see them carry this burden I would like to see them doing the fighting and not just Americans. Because I don't think there is any alternative to that. We are not going to win unless the South Vietnamese do more, and make more of an effort. It shouldn't be just the United States and Americans doing it.

First we were making the effort there so that people had their own right to decide their own future and select their own form of government. And it wasn't going to be imposed on them by North Vietnam. We had the support of the people of South Vietnam . I think thats why we were involved in that struggle. Thats certainly the way I looked at it when I was in President Kennedy's administration and in President Johnson's.

Now we turned. When we found that the South Vietnamese haven't given the support and are not making the effort. Now we are saying we are going to fight there so we don't have to fight in Thailand . So we don't have to fight on the west coast of the United States, so they won't move accross the Rockies.

This last paragragph rings familiar. Oceans don't protect us anymore, Bobby. Or didn't. Or never did.

It's all so confusing but one thing I know - as long as Patrick Swayze and his Wolverines are around then freedom is safe.

Well, I guess it just goes to prove that you never really know a man until the chips are down and you need him the most.

No matter what one's feelings are on abortion today's USSC ruling can't be seen as anything but contemptible. The standard of what is and isn't necessary medical care should be set by doctors. Not insurance companies and definitely not politicians with alternate agendas. It is absolutely absurd that congress - Republicans and Democrats - passed this ridiculous law and it's equally absurd that the conservative members of the court chose to continue play political games rather than do their god damned job.

This is why elections are important and even an affable clown like Bush should have been kept out of office in 2000. It's also another example of Joe Lieberman and the Gang of Fourteen should have been tossed out on their collective asses. The effect of their muddling, directionless centrism is not moderation. It's conservative extremism run amok.

And so it goes.

I can't believe I let the death of Kurt Vonnegut pass without comment. In my defense I learned all I know about the man from this Fox News Obit which reminded me he was an "unhappy man" and "rich and irrelevant" and that Dresden wasn't that big a deal. So you'll forgive me if I don't think he was a genius. Fox news tells me otherwise.

(Thanks Swinebread for the link.)

Virginia Tech shootings

I suppose I should make some sort of comment on the Virginia Tech shootings but I'm not sure what to say other than it's incredibly sad.

If this blog had a theme it would be that politics and pop culture aren't all that different. That's why I usually find it so easy to identify a quote from a movie or t.v. show to go with the issue of the day. In this case I don't feel like talking about either politics or pop culture in regards to this tragedy so I'll deviate from the usual format for this one post.

I'm avoiding political commentary from the left and the right on this tragedy as I think it's inappropriate in light of the immediacy of the suffering taking place on that campus. I see that President Bush is heading down to the campus today. As much as I enjoy taking shots at the man I won't fault him for that. It is a function of his job and completely proper that he do so.

There will be a time for discussing the hows and whys of what happened but I think now is just a time to throw a thought or a prayer to the victims and maybe give your kids an extra hug after work.

Dean