Best thing I've read all day

One great lesson of American history is that one does good in this world because it is right to do good, not because the recipients will be grateful. We Americans must therefore never judge the rightness of our actions on how much gratitude or censure we receive. So long as we remain the most blessed country on earth, it is our duty to do as much good as we can. In fact, if we don't, we will cease to be blessed.

- Dennis Brager

WorldNetDaily: Those Iraqi soccer ingrates

Thumping both sides of the aisle

Meet Michael Moore: hypocrite extraordinaire. He was roundly boo-ed at the Convention last night when John McCain called him a “disingenuous filmmaker.. who portrayed Saddam’s Iraq” as a peaceful utopia. And now, the Empress is out to show you, faithful reader where both he is a big liar and asking the wrong questions… and that his questions are all about the pursuit of power.

I asked one man who told me he was a "proud Republican," "Do you think we need strong laws to protect our air and water?"
"Well, sure," he said. "Who doesn't?"

Both men would say we need strong laws because corporations will pollute the planet if left without government regulation - because only the government can protect Mother Earth. That may have been true years and years ago, but American consumers are a bit more aware now. Most products are made with recycable material and can be re-cycled. I see that little arrow in a circle thing all the time. I would say that since the consumer has more information at his/her disposal; why not let the free market dictate what will happen.

At the protest this past weekend, several of those on the other side chanted something about Halliburton and high gas prices. The lady I was paired with said "And the 40 cents a gallon we pay in taxes due to state and federal regulation has nothing to do with high gas prices. " They looked like they were smacked with a 2-by-4 and went back to chanting Halliburton was evil.

Misplaced anger to be sure...

I asked whether women should have equal rights, including the same pay as men.
"Absolutely," he replied.

When accounting for age, education and experience, men and women make virtually the same. I believe its between 90 and 95 cents on the dollar. Michael Moore, later in his article, pulls out the 75 cents on the dollar statistic they feminists have been using since the 1970's. That study was faulty. It compared waitresses with corporate managers. Of course, waitresses make less than white-collar workers. Different industries. Yeesh.

Also, does Mr. Moore account for the fact that many women choose - yes I said CHOOSE - jobs that offer more flexibility, but usually go along with a lower salary? Somehow I doubt it.

Women in America have more rights than men. Just visit any family court in this country and you will see that the woman is overwhelmingly given custody, child support - almost no matter what the circumstances are.

"Would you discriminate against someone because he or she is gay?"
"Um, no." The pause — I get that a lot when I ask this question — is usually because the average good-hearted person instantly thinks about a gay family member or friend.

Even the most ardent of religious conservatives do not want to legally discriminate against gays. I think the question that should be asked "Are you in favor of gay clergy?" or "Do you support gay marriage?" Mr. Moore find that those RINO's he talked to are more conservative because those questions conflict with their religious beliefs. Should gay people be denied jobs in the public or private sector? Of course not. But should churches (or student groups at universities) be forced to accept leaders that are openly defiant of scripture?

I've often found that if I go down the list of "liberal" issues with people who say they're Republican, they are quite liberal and not in sync with the Republicans who run the country. Most don't want America to be the world's police officer and prefer peace to war.

But they don't want the UN to be the world's police officer. The UN is about as effective as a kleenex is at stopping Hurricane Francis. It ain't going to happen. Why have we turned into the world's police officer? Bill Clinton.

Did he forget that it was Clinton who sent troops to Somalia? To Kosovo? Both because UN and Europeans efforts failed or didn't materialize. And we are still in Kosovo because the UN took over things and there is no stable government. Whereas Iraqis have said "we don't want the UN here and want the US out as soon as possible" and are on their way to creating a stable government. And I can safely say that I want our troops out of there too but until the Iraqis can defend and protect themselves, we do need to be there.

They are going to try Saddam - not the World Court where the show-trial of Milosovic is dragging on into its... what year is it now?

Yes, I prefer peace to war but I am a realist. We live in a post 9/11 world where we are finally aware of the fact there are groups out there who want to destroy Western Civilizations (both foreign and domestic).

Going way way back, it was another Democrat, Woodrow Wilson who involved us when we didn't need to be. Were our interests at stake during WWI? I don't seem to recall. Then the creation of the League of Nations? And another, Franklin Roosevelt. We were attacked by Japan and needed to defend ourselves (sound like a recent story?). Our troops are still in Japan... 60 years later. They are still in Korea 50 years later - I will be glad when they leave the latter. Let the South Koreans and Chinese keep Kim Jong-Ill contained. US troops do not need to be the canaries in the cave for South Korea anymore.

They applaud civil rights...

What have we been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan? Women have more civil rights than ever. In our own country, we've made everything a right. A right to sneeze.. a right to not be offended.. a right to park in a handicapped space if you are inconveniced by walking 15 feet..

believe all Americans should have health insurance

Not at my expense. Sorry. TennCare is dying the horrible death it deserves. There are major hospitals who are refusing to accept patients because they can't afford the financial losses anymore. The state should NOT be in the business of health care.

and think assault weapons should be banned.

The ban was a joke. It was cosmetic. I'm glad its expiring soon. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. The next time someone uses a hammer to murder someone, call on the government to ban hammers.

Though they may personally oppose abortion, they usually don't think the government has the right to tell a women what to do with her body.

I agree. Those that are pro-life should make their case on moral/spiritual grounds and help these women understand the alternative to abortion, services available to assist them, and make them aware of the long-term consequences of abortion. Most importantly, we should not judge them or condemn them to Hell. That is the job of our Creator. He will judge us as well.

The government should stay out of the mess altogether and stop funding Planned Parenthood. Let them raise their own money - those t-shirts were a start.

To sum up: politics is the pursuit of power. If you don't have it, you want more of it. If you have it, you want to keep it and take it from the other guy. That is human nature. From the local PTA meetings to the UN - the dynamics are the same. I think if Michael Moore also asked questions about safety and security, he might find some different answers. His interview subjects are probably not fans of Nader or Kerry either. Given that, they may just stay home.

USATODAY.com - The GOP doesn't reflect America

Template Change

Actually, only the next post is really really long. Nothing else on this page is.. I just didn't want to blind you.

:)

All the posts now read "The Empress Commands you to keep reading..." I'm going to try to fix that.

Going inside...

Our man Blake hit a major score - he's going to the Kerry rally tomorrow at the airport. It was ticket/invitation only.

Can't wait to see the pics!

NashvilleFiles Blog

Compare at your leisure


Old and Busted

New Hotness

Makes me very glad to be a Protest Warrior right now.

Hi!

My first link from a big-time blogger! I'm so happy!!! Welcome all y'all Hobbs Online Readers!

Thanks Bill and Blake for making this possible. *sniff*

Hope you will come back again soon!
-PK

HobbsOnline

Edited to add:

If you want more information or to participate in some of our protest activities this week, visit:

Nashville Protest Warrior to sign up for the forum

then

Protest Warrior HQ to join

We would love to have you as a member.

A spine for a minute

The abduction shook the notion that France's opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq gave some safety to French citizens amid the rash of kidnappings in Iraq. Some Iraqi militants have previously spared French passport holders — even freeing one man in April after he was able to prove his citizenship by showing his knowledge of French geography.

The demand to end the head scarf ban was the first time hostage-takers sought to reverse a nation's domestic law. Insurgents in Iraq have kidnapped dozens of people, but until know their demands have focused on pushing nations' troop or companies out of Iraq.

I pray that the men abducted will be returned safely (even if they are French) but I hope that this is a lesson to the Spains and Phillipeans of the world:

You cannot negotiate with terrorists. You cannot show them mercy. You cannot give an inch or else they will demand a mile. They saw that the aforementioned countries caved with hit with just a little pressure. Now they are trying to change domestic policy, since trying to get troops out of Iraq is not enough.

Even French Muslim leaders who opposed the law on head scarves urged the government Sunday not to capitulate and condemned the kidnapping.

"We must not negotiate. It is blackmail which the Muslims of France reject," said Lhaj Thami Breze, president of the powerful Union of Islamic Organizations of France. France's Muslim community of 5 million is western Europe's biggest.

Yahoo! News - France Will Not Repeal Head Scarf Law

Empress Kitty Revealed




At today's protest. Pretending to be a Belle Meade (that's the Old-Money part of Nashville) Republican . I should have tugged my shirt down a bit before the picture. Oh well. Mission brief to follow.

Operation Liberty Rising - Mission Brief

Or not-so-brief

“Fascist”
“Hater”
“Why do you hate? We are here to spread peace and love.”
“I love you.”

- The last to were whispered in my ear by a guy who
1) smelled of patchouli.
2) Was NOT cute.
3) TOTALLY INVADED MY PERSONAL SPACE!
4) has no concept of reality.
5) Made me which I had my Sig with me.
6) A hippie. And Hippies suck.

“Well, I love you too, dear-heart” as I walked away, protected by one of the much larger men in our group.

Being fearless, I jumped right in the middle of moonbat central and held up my sign. Some got it.

Most didn’t.

Disguising my message in liberal-speak, I gathered support among the moonbats.

Empress Kitty: “I’m here to support women’s rights. The rise in honor killings is very disturbing. How Canada is permitting the use of Sharia law is scary.”
Moonbat: “Oh, yes. I agree.”
EK: “We need to show them that there are benefits to freedom, equality, and a Constitutional rule of law.”
MB: “Yes. Mm-hmm.”
EK: “And sometimes to do that, we have to use force. Particularly after we’ve been attacked.”
MB: Yea.. what?”
EK: “Because that’s all they understand. They don’t understand love, hugs, and little flowers. But, drop a daisy cutter and they will get it quick enough.”
MB: “Well, it was nice talking with you. Take one of our flyers.”
EK: “Great, thanks. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

I’ve been invited to participate in a round-table by the local left-wing group so that we can all love and hug each other… and come to an understanding that we have a “common enemy.”

Their enemy is George W. Bush.
My enemy is the terrorist out to destroy my way of life, keep me at home, or just plain kill me.

Other things overheard by moonbats:

MB1: "Their signs say "Say no to war."
MB2: "They are from protestwarrior.com."
MB1: "So?"
MB2: "They are totally behind Bush/Cheney."
MB1: "But their signs are calling for the end to the war."
MB2: "No. Trust me. They are not with us."
Protest Warrior: "You got that right."

Overall, both sides were very respectful to each other. A good time exercising what’s left of our First Amendment right was had by all. We talked about the weather (how we all hoped the rain would hold off).. and explaining the subtleties of our signs.

“Say no to war… unless a democrat is President.”
MB: “I don’t get it.”
EK: “Were you out here protesting the Clinton backed/EU ineptitude of troop placement in Kosovo?”
* crickets *
EK: “I thought so.”

Next time, I’m going as a Communist for Kerry and hand out little band-aids as a part of our national healthcare plan. That will be SO much fun!!!

Nashville PW makes the news its first day out

Pro-war group counters protest on Broadway - Friday, 08/27/04

Nashville's Protest Warriors - our first demonstration



At the weekly "Women in Black" protest

I was not there because I couldn't get away from work but, gosh darnnit, I'm proud of my fellow protest warriors. Several of the signs were put together by yours truly.

And we tick off the liberals.


What a face!

Does he kiss his mama with that mouth? Yipes!

The poster behind him says "War is not the answer." Our counter-poster says "Except for ending slavery, fascism, nazism, and communism - War has never solved anything."

Heh.

The Kennedys weren't getting enough attention

Yahoo! News - William Kennedy Smith Accused of Assault

Will the blue dot over the accuser's face make a come back in his trial?

Attacks on our Freedom

Today's dumb-butt quote from Rep. Corinne Brown, D-Fla -

To insure a fairer election, [she] called for "verification from the world."

We should let those bastions of free elections Iran, Zimbabwe, and Russia monitor our elections. Would that satisfy the Honorable Representative?
(There are no elections in the first 2 countries; Putin has taken to jailing his opponents in the last election in Russia).

Or just plain stupid

"Kerry, the man, has a lot more respect for the Constitution than President Bush does," said talk show icon Phil Donahue. "I believe Kerry the man is not going to strut and allow hubris to move him and allow him to engage in a unilateral military action in a war that is underfunded, underequipped, undermanned, unconstitutional, unaffordable and unwinnable."

The fact that 30 other nations were in the Coalition of the Willing and that Kerry voted to send troops but then said "no" to the appropriate funding completely escapes his dizzying intellect.

Remember: for foreign policy actions, we need to ask France first.

Scenes from the Throne Room

The Setting: Empress Kitty’s throne room. She is seated in her magnificent throne, scepter in hand to whack those that need it. (As is often said around the court – “They need to be beaten with a stick.” And the scepter will do just fine.)

Her fingers tap the arm of the throne as she listens to the ‘explanation’ from the editors of the major media outlets as to why they’ve neglected to report on the obvious errors in Democratic Party nominee John Kerry’s Vietnam Service as a part of the PGHA.

Empress Kitty: We are not amused by this turn of events. You have been charged with distorting the truth, lying to the uneducated masses, being a general nuisance and less fun to read than some of the random blogs that one may now find with the “next blog” feature on blogspot.com. Defend yourself!

Washington Post: Empress, if you will give us a chance to explain…. For the record, registration is required to read our article. We will force you into giving us your email address and then refuse to recognize it later.

EK: Hello? What do you think I’m doing? I could scrap this whole hearing and send you to Emperor Misha’s – though we do NOT share the same Empire – dungeon game room. I believe in outsourcing to the best possible company and he’s the man. Now answer the charges before I hit you with a stick!

New York Times: Registration required - we will collect your information and send you junk in return. Join today! We decided that it wasn’t very newsworthy. John Kerry’s record in Vietnam is clear. He served with distinction along side many brave men and women…

EK: Most Veterans do not make a public show of their service outside of the annual parades. In fact, most won’t talk about their service if you asked. What does it say about a veteran who goes back to re-enact a scene to use for his political aspirations? That he can’t remember where he was on Christmas 1968 – something seared, SEARED into his memory - or the fact that Nixon wasn’t President at the time doesn’t bother you?

Both: No.

EK: Have you taken a gander at what the Swift Boat Vets had to say? One of them has been campaigning since 1971 to have Kerry’s medals taken away from him. They feel betrayed by Kerry who testified before the Senate Foreign Relations committee. The candidate said that they were, in effect, baby killers and guilty of war crimes.

WP: But they are against John Kerry. We can’t report that. That would be biased. We can only critique what President Bush and his supporters have to say. The only legitimate critique can be levied against those that are in power.

EK: Biased? But you didn't too much critiquing of Bill Clinton while he was in power. Did he really have power or was it truncated by the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy?

Both: Yes. Biased. We love Bill Clinton. We would never say anything bad about him. He is our friend. *zombie like stares and tones of voice*

EK: Riiiiggggt. *waving her scepter back and forth, contemplating beating them silly but waits to finish the interrogation * OK… NYT, how do you explain that you just now, after 4 months since the first press release by the Swift Boat Vets, decide to run an editorial? And when you do finally decide to say something about it, you tell them to stop because it’s outlandish for such a group to say anything at all? And your one article is dedicated to disproving what they said instead of being fair and balanced (copyright FoxNews Corp.)

NYT: Um… uh… well, we thought that it wasn’t newsworthy… We wanted to talk about Halliburton, aborting twins in a multiples pregnancy, and the attacks in Najaf and the oppression of the Palestinians and how great John Kerry will be for this country. Washington Post was doing stories on Jessica Culter!

WP: You are telling on me! Moooooommm!!!

EK: Wrong answer, try again! Stop trying to change the subject. You aren’t calling on groups like MoveOn and Common Cause to stop attacking George Bush. Fahrenheit 9/11 plays up a connection that was denied in the Commission hearings by Richard Clarke – the darling of the movie. You write about the connections to Karl Rove through 527 groups on the Bush side yet TOTALLY ignore the web of leftist leaning 527’s tied to Kerry/Edwards. And you call yourselves journalists. I should shoot you on principle. *reaches forward and bops the NYT editor squarely on the head and sits back down in a huff*

NYT: OW!!!! Your Excellency, the New York Times has faced tough times in the last year. We lost Jayson Blair, one of our rising stars… and our editors quit. All of the controversy about our reporting – that we made things up and hired un-talented hacks for the sake of “diversity” have been a distraction.

EK: Mm-hmm. So, you pinning your lack of paying attention to the controversy over Kerry’s military record on something that happened last year and is completely un-related? Or is it a lack of resources?

NYT: Yes! That’s it! Lack of resources! Really good, Empress.

WP: And for us, Empress, we are in Washington - Jessica Culter was such a... distraction. She met us in the back alley. We gave her a toaster for her services.

EK: *raises her hand* Enough. That explains it. I do not need to deliberate. You’ve been found guilty. I sentence you to Emperor Misha’s dungeon game room (outsourcing again. The Empress spent all of her money on new fall clothes.) and then to a Protest Warrior event where you have to hold a sign that announces that John Kerry is a traitor.

Mark Steyn rips Kerry a new one

Nothing the "sleazoids" [M. Dowd's term used in the New York Times for the Swift Vets] say about Kerry is as bad as what he said about them 33 years ago in his testimony to Congress, when he informed the world that his comrades – his "band of brothers" – had "personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads" etc, throughout their time in Vietnam.

and this one...

How cocooned from reality do you have to be to think you can transform one of the most divisive periods in American history – in which you were largely responsible for much of the divisiveness – into a sappy, happy-clappy, soft-focus patriotic blur without anybody objecting? Most Vietnam veterans of my acquaintance loathe John Kerry, and, if he wasn't aware of that, he's too out of it to be President.

and...

If this campaign were any more inept, Michael Moore would be making a documentary claiming Kerry's a Republican plant secretly controlled by Karl Rove and the House of Saud.

Telegraph | Opinion | Kerry: strange, stuck-up... and stupid

It's so hard to balance planning a suicide bombing and getting your kids to daycare

So this new online 'Jihad' magazine for women will help women plan their day accordingly. Perhaps a sample schedule is as follows:

7am: morning prayers
7:30: breakfast
8:30: kids to school (run by local insane Mullah who believes that this is still the 9th century)
9:00: Women's sewing circle - stiching new green Hezbollah banners.
12:00: Mid-day prayers
12:30: Lunch
2:30: pick kids up from school to take them to terrorist training camp run by Al-Qaida. "Theya re so bright - they are on scholarship!"
4:30: Early evening prayers
5:30: Start dinner in time for terror-cell leader husband to get home. He will be picking the kids up from camp.
6:30: More prayers then dinner.
7:30: Review of lessons such as the Holocaust never happened, the Jews are evil, America is the Great Satan, Osama bin Laden is a hero, and 9/11 was the best thing to happen to America.
9:00: Kids go to bed. Husband fusses that you left the house today without a male escort.
10:00: Bedtime.

a purr to Worldnetdaily.com

Today's What?

In an effort ot show just how the UN would be at effectively managing your money, they want to institute, among other things, an email tax and a tax on interntational flights. That Oil-for-food program was such a rousing success.

Because we all know that the spammers will rush right over to pay their tax on email.

Since Rocky and I already plan on shooting the UN election monitors, this is just another excuse to open fire. You can have my email when you take it from my dead harddrive!

But you can have the spam and virus notifications without a fight.

A purr to: Jeff at Protein Wisdom - Remember: A vote for John Kerry is a vote for Internationalization!

I was for it before I was against it

I am doing a flip flop on something. John Kerry watch out!

Wait - I just realized how effeminate John Kerry is. He changes his mind more than most women I know and instablity in regards to decision making has always been regarded as a feminine characteristic. It was used to keep women away from the ballot box, property ownership, elected office and certain academic professions. Let's bring it back and use it as a criterion to keep John Kerry out!

I for one am glad to be able to own property because if I couldn't, the estates would be really screwed up right now because my brother isn't here and my uncle isn't involved in my life at all. Someone has to do it.

Back to the subject at hand.. this free clinic in Maine has decided to make brand new Muslim-friendly hospital gowns because a third of the women were missing their appointments. They are just too modest to visit a doctor.

Val MacQueen wacks the hospital into a tizzy by pointing out that

1. We of the non-Muslim but modest persuasion have been subjected to ill-fitting gowns for years. Why the concern now?
   
2. The restrictions have more to do with the Muslim man's inablity to control himself than the virtue of women.

I was for the new gowns because I don't like the little ones they have but I understand why they are like that. As Val points out, they are designed like that so that doctors can effectively examine their patients. Which is alot better than the olden days where a doctor would examine a female patient through a hole in a blanket, feeling his way around or could only look at her up to her knee.

My internal organs happen to a good distance away from my knee, for their information.

But Val right points out that the offended Muslims should just do what good capitalists have done for generations: go out and build your own stupid hospital where they can practice their brand of medicine.

Then again, there aren't exacly that many Muslim capitalists running around, are there? They come here to continue to use benefits of a welfare state they were used to at home (or wished they had at home). My taxes... your taxes. I tell you, I've had it with political correctness. Had it!

So, I will proudly wear the skimpy gown on Friday when I go to the doctor.. but I'm not going to roam the halls in it. I'm not insane.

Flirting with the other side

It's obvious based on comments here that both the Empress and Elena have been quite taken with the handsome Che. Rumor has it secret communiques have been passed between the Revolutionary leader and the member of the Empress' Court. The sleep-deprived koala knows all.

First, Che better not be getting any ideas that the Empress is like Evita and will burst into song on balconies in Buenos Aires. Nor is she like Tsarina Alexandra who was bedecked with her jewels underneath her clothes and "re-educated" right into a grave by Comrade Lenin's gang in 1918.

Che and the Revolutionaries from Communists for Kerry are welcome here because we of the Court are very amused by their tatics. If the Royal Treasury wasn't so depleated from.. um.. er... state expenses (pay no attention to those new stilletos), we would trek ourselves right on up to New York for the next gathering.

As it is, we cannot and will be participating in the counter-demonstration this weekend in Nashvegas with the Protest Warriors. Down with John Kerry!

We recommend a visit to their site to read the account of: The Revolution Strikes Back

Edited to add: We don't want to leave any of the other handsome revolutionaries out either. Lenin looks very good in his suit.. he is the best dressed of the group. Wait.. how did he come up with the funds for such an outfit??? Is he stealing from the Politburo? The Court is sure his speeches are excellent. Kommander Djin and his education cube... it takes some skill to solve that puzzle. We are not a fan of Castro - the beard.. the Elian Gonzalez thing. We do have to draw the line somewhere...

Life After College?

According to this new graduate student at UTK, life after receiving a Bachelor's degree consists of being homeless, eating Jello, and pining away for the days when you could just go to Bonneroo without a care in the world - like student loan payments.

For non-Tennesseeans or college rock fans: Bonneroo is an annual festival outside of Manchester, TN that's 4 days. This year something like 60,000 people attended to see groups like Los Lobos and Bob Dylan. I'm sure there were others, but that isn't the Empress' scene. And this year it was the same weekend as Fan Fair in Nashville. The horror! Two different types of music festivals going on within 90 miles of each other! As a reader in the Nashville Scene pointed out - watching the local reporters talk about it, you thought you should run to Kroger for bread and milk.

Because being from Nashville, if there is inclement weather, it's law that you go to the nearest grocery store for a jug of milk and a loaf of bread. Why? I don't know. It's just what we do.

Back to the story... so life for little-Miss-graduate is hard. She seemed to be a bit perplexed that life outside the Ivory Tower was different. Tough noogies. It was hard for me too when I got out of school. The job search isn't an easy one and sacrifices have to be made until one has steady employment.

But little Miss Graduate cannot handle life in the real world and has elected to work as a waitress and return to graduate school. My guess is that she will eventually truck on to earn a PHD and become an adjunct teaching your children in English 101.

The Daily Beacon Online - Students encouraged to savor the moments of college

A purr to: John Brown

Waaaaaaahhhh!

PC run amok!

Jailed Muslims angry over pork on menu

And the warden sent a letter of apology because they were offended... Apologizing to prisoners who tried to commit terrorist acts.

"If I let you have your way, you would feed them chicken three times a day and tuck them to sleep in eiderdown quilts." - Scarlett O'Hara-Kennedy.

As Marie Antionette would have said "Let them eat bacon!"

Just plain sad

You may have heard about this woman who was very obese and fused to her couch because she hadn't moved for over 6 years.

While I don't want this post to turn into a debate about what people eat/drink/exercise, I want to share this quote with you:

"Some say we should go to jail for letting her deteriorate," the 44-year-old Kendricks [dead woman's sister] said. "Why should we go to jail? Gayle was a grown woman. She could make her own decisions."

In my ethics class, we talked about Good Samaritan laws. The case we talked about was Kitty Genovese. She was murdered outside of her apartment complex and there were numerous witnesses who did nothing to stop it - not even call the police until it was way too late. Is it the duty of someone to respond to another in need, even if can cause harm to yourself? No one was prosecuted in the Genovese case for ignoring what occured.

We saw it in the attempted prosecution of the photographers who tailed Princess Diana. They took pictures instead of calling an ambulence. Paris has a Good Samaritan law.

I think would be the direction that any prosecution would take. "They should have checked on her knowing her physical condition."

Is it different when you have a sick relative than someone being attacked outside your window?
While we Christians have a God-given responsibility to assist those in need, do non-Christians? Is it self-preservation?
Is there a tendancy for non-Christians to be more giving than those who profess some kind of faith?

On Good Samaritan laws, I am not sure if I am for or against it. The idea has its merits but I also think it is a government intrusion - forcing me to care for another person. What do you all think?

Todays "Duh...." study

While the results can be very beneficial to marriages, the conculsion seems like.. well.. common sense.

"The ones who stayed happily married were likely to handle conflict constructively," said study author Mari L. Clements, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.

"Even in the midst of a difficult issue in their relationship, they were likely to treat each other with respect," Clements said. "They were likely to listen to each other."

Those headed for divorce were more likely to make negative comments about the relationship or the partner, she found. And this pattern was evident before the marriage ever took place.

ANY relationship is more likely to last if people can handle conflict constructively. I think some of this was mentioned in the verses Erik and I cited yesterday. This isn't exactly a new discovery. Who wants to be around quarrelsome people or those that will constantly put you down?

It is a reminder for me to pay attention to how and what I say but...

I would like to thank either the government or some foundation that funded this for helping to point out the totally obvious. It was money well spent.

Yahoo! News - 'We're Done' Can be Predicted Before 'I Do'

Evil, Nasty, Snarling Beasts

Alright, now I'm genuinely pissed about something. I've been mad before but there aren't too many things that make me want to grab a pitchfork and a torch. Well, potential income taxes aside....

Vox and Nate are right.

Most women are evil, horrible, self-absorbed creatures that should be beaten with a stick. They are out to destroy whatever shred of masculinity the man they are with might have left. Yes, I've grasped this well-documented fact before and in a previous version of myself. I was one. Now I'm only a little self-absorbed... :)

I don't think I should reveal the details of the conversation for all the world to see. Here's what I will tell you: girl in question is not an American. She was born in Colombia and emigrated to the US when she was little with her parents. So, the beast can and does cross cultures... or overtake original culture.

Girl is also too attached to her parents. "That's the way my dad did it. That's the way you are going to do it." Perhaps girl should read what Solomon had to say on the woman's influence in the home.

There, but for the grace of God, go I.

*shudder*

While waiting to log in for a conference call, I decided to take a look at my site meter report. How did one person find my blog?

They googled "men in pink thongs." That is just sick.

Let's spend money to make money

While to a certain extent that is true. There are start-up costs to every venture and with hard work and luck, they will be returned with a profit (provided the market wants/needs your product).

Then there are the Olympics. A grand event that allows for sponsorship (notice that they haven't had a named sponsor since Atlanta when the "Coca-Cola Olympic Games" went over like a lead ballon?), great competition by semi-professional/professional athletes, and events no one has heard of or thinks should be in the Olympics (chess is a sport?)

All this to say: no one is showing up and no one is watching on TV. But... "Harry Collossis, Greek tourism minister, said the financial effect won’t really be seen until four or five years from now."

When they have to pay the bills.

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Games Don't Spark Tourism Boom

Intelligence on display

While eating my lunch, I watched a mom unloading her SUV of her son's belongings to move him back into the dorm. They had the items loaded up on the dolly and walked away to see which route around the building they should take.

The items were out there for anyone to wheel away.. the windows to her SUV were down.. and she hit the "lock" button on her keyless entry.

As if that would stop anyone who wanted to take that child's worldly possessions or the SUV.

It hurts... Oh geez, it hurts!

From the "guestbook" at Communists for Kerry... they said it in their response but I wanted to say it here too.. because it bears repeating:

commenter Hi said:

john kerry is a capitalist.
john kerry has made his fortune from the capitalist system.

Empress Kitty says:

John Kerry is a gold digger and married into his money. He was homeless when he was between wives. His wife is a gold digger who married into her money. Her now-deceased husband earned his money in our free market by making ketchup and other fine products that we used. Her now-deceased husband was a Republican who is probably spinning in his grave to see his hard-earned money going to down the toilet.

You should the pictures of Communists for Kerry's recent revolution... Che is quite the handsome one.

Communists for Kerry - 2004 Presidential Election USA

The Empress is happy!

Lots of hotness on the new season of Survivor. John K. is a total wimp. Can you see it now? Pre-jury boot.

With former a Marine/FBI agent and a Drill Sergeant? Alpha males abound on this season. Finally, maybe.. just maybe we won't have an under-the-radar winner that rides the coat tails of more powerful/in your face players. The last really scheming winner of Survivor was... Richard Hatch. Tina was good but hid behind Colby. Ethan won because he was agained Mama Kim who no one liked. Vee.. well, let's just pretend Marquesas never happened. Pff.

And the same with Thailand. Brian was Hatch-lite. So that brings us to the Amazon where boobies, chocolate, and magic 8-balls ruled. How did Jenna win? Boobies. Like Kim, she was paired against someone no one else liked and almost won 7-0. Pearl Islands? Sandra was under-the-radar and flipped flopped as much as John Kerry. Her vote went with whomever promised her 3 more days.

Survivor All-Stars? All the original over-the-top people played it down.. and in a moment of extreme bone-headedness, Lex voted off his own teammate as opposed to Amber. Amber hid behind Rob. And the only reason she managed to advance is because Rob was a challenge hog.

I like Travis "Bubba" Smith - from Blountville. NRA member; former wrestler. Sounds like we put Johnny Fairplay and Frank from Africa in a blender.

Lisa Keiffer is a born-again Christian with 6 children! So is Dolly Neely (your cute girl next door type who happens to be a shephardess) and Rory. I think this is the most professing Christians the show has had at one time. That will be interesting to see how much their faith influences their game play.

Moving from gay men in previous seasons: Ami is a lesbian and works in a coffee shop. Scout is also a lesbian - former university professor, rancher and cancer survivor. Sexual preference aside, anyone who can make it through cancer treatment has my respect.

Chris Crittenden is an amputee, due to a cancer. He is a full time Dad.

Kudos to the casting team. I like this group of people. While Rupert is not there, there can only be one Rupert.

Edited to add: Don't worry. This blog will not be all-Survivor, all-the-time as in seasons past. The Professor and I will just have our regular phone conversations where he raves about navels and I say "Oh wow.. he's so much better looking with facial hair. mmm..." Then we will actually talk about game play. Loyal readers will be sparred unless something REALLY good happens (like the Johnny Fairplay fake death of grandma thing). That was very blog-worthy. Just note - the local channel's Survivor prize pack is mine. I was robbed last season.

CBS.com

Where have we heard THAT before?

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith

Translation: I moved here to be famous but can only perform on songwriters night that I have to pay to be on the bill. I really wanted to be the next Shania but toil in obscurity instead. So, I re-packaged myself as an Ani DeFranco wanna-be. I have an opinion and everything!

is taking a more personal approach in her opposition to the administration of her fellow native Texan:

Translation: Just so you know, NOW said that all politics is personal. Even when it doesn't affect me like saving wombats in Tasmania. It's a personal issue. And I'm for anybody but Bush.. because that's what MoveOn said.

''I've made a conscious decision in my life...

Translation: I thought about it for a minute or two.

that if Kerry does not win in November, I'm leaving this country in January,''

PK's note: And you'll go where? Will you pull a bait and switch like that Baldwin guy?

Griffith said. ''It hasn't been an easy decision to make, because I love my country. But I think that if we have another four years of George W. Bush, we won't have a democracy.''

Translation: I'm trying to get my name in the paper because I'm playing at The Bluebird soon.

PK's note: Ms. Griffith apparently doesn't know anything about civics becase our government is NOT a democracy. It is a republic, based on representative government. We elect representatives. No soup for you!

For the record, I've never heard of this person. The Tennessean must have been scraping to find people to interview for this article for fear of a Dixie Chicks like backlash.

Should singers strike a political note? - Sunday, 08/15/04

Strange Town Names

Tuscumbia, Al

Miss O'Hara Asks a Question

Our lovely blog-sister asks about LASIK surgery. I had LASIK done 3 years ago after wearing glasses or contacts every day since the 4th grade. My advice:

Find people in your social circle who've had it done and who performed the operation. If you were in Nashville, I would recommend either Dr. Ming Wang (who performed my surgery) or the guy who did Bama Girl's. She used to work in his office. His name escapes me at the moment but it started with an S. Like that helps, I know... :)

Make sure your doctor has alot of experience with LASIK. Do NOT go to those $299 places. There is something to be said about paying more and going to a Dr. that is at a hospital or closely affiliated with one should something go wrong. This is an out-patient operation but it is an operation. There is alot of information on the web about LASIK. Also, bladeless LASIK is no less or more safe than traditional LASIK. Don't let them tell you talk you into something more expensive when you don't need it.

Talk to them about their experience. Why did they have it done? What, if any, problems did they experience post op? Did they need a second operation shortly after? Sometimes that has to be done.

Do NOT have LASIK done if you are not prepared to do the aftercare. You will have to put the moisturizing drops in your eyes religiously for up to a week. Every 15 minutes (you'll know when because they start to hurt and need the extra moisture). Keep them in the refridgerator - they feel so much better when they are cold. This could also be a life-long side effect of the procedure, even though it is rare. No mascara or eye make-up for at least a month. No swimming for several weeks. Studies have shown the best time of year to do it is in the winter. Those that have it done at that time are less likely to need follow-up surgical procedures.

I had mine done in January 2001 and did not need a follow up procedure. My eyes are 20/20 in the right eye and 20/40 in the left. My left eye was significantly worse than the right. It was 20/200 I believe. I couldn't see anything without my glasses/contacts. It would have to be inches from my face to be clear.

The one side effect I've experienced, and it is pretty common, is diminshed night vision. I see alot of halos/glare around lights at night. I keep a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses in my car to wear at night. I wore them quite often at the beginning but now, it's been a couple of months since I've had to wear them.

Here's how it goes: you will wear your glasses for a few days prior to surgery to allow your eyes to return to their natural shape. On the day of the operation, when you arrive, you'll take some perscription only super-duper strength tylenol that relaxes your entire body. Once in the chair, they tape your eyes open and pour in numbing drops. They program the machine with the specifics to re-shape your eye. You will stare at a little red X and they put a device that looked like a big cigar cutter to cut the flap of the eye. You'll go blind for a second. Then the laser starts. If your eye shifts from staring at the X, it will shut off. It took 58 seconds for my right eye and over a minute for my left. The laser pulses and moves across the eye to re-shape it.

The staff talked to me through the entire procedure, telling me what was going on. I don't think I breathed on the first eye at all, I was so nervous. The nurse had to help me get my hands off the arms of the chair. I had squeezed the ends so tightly that my fingers had locked up and I couldn't let go.

They put the little flaps back over the iris. Short break while they re-set the machine and numbed the second eye. Repeat procedure.

When I sat up, my vision was cloudy but I could read the name on the sheet covering some equipment several feet away. When I came in, I couldn't even see it beyond it being a big grey blob. I though I was going to start crying. They tape plastic disks over your eyes and you will wear little plastic goggles the next day when you return for your follow-up but after that, you won't need the goggles. The plastic disks, I recommend wearing in your sleep and in the shower for a few days just to be safe.

I got home, had lunch, took a unisom and slept for 12 hours. When I got up, I was reading everything. It was like being a kid again.

So, to anyone who is a candidate, I highly recommend LASIK. If you are concerned about the cost: in the six years I had contacts, I paid for one eye. That doesn't include glasses or the stuff to clean my contacts. And it's gone down since I had it done 3 years ago. Do your homework before going in even for an initial consultation.

Glasses are now an accessory instead of a necessity! Love that :)

miss_o_hara's Xanga Site - 8/14/2004 8:12:04 PM

Memorable events of the day

Empress Kitty, Elena, and Duke Diva had a yard/estate sale today. We worked almost 24 hours straight getting it set up and running the thing. Y'all should have been there - it was insane.

We found a jar of Sweet Midgets... tiny and hard. (Pickles for those so inclined.) They caused fits of laughter by the Empress - so much so she fell down and stopped breathing for a moment. The garage floor was not a place to fall down. It's dirty.

Then there is the yard sale troll. An evil sub-set of the species that for a $2000 retail bedroom set (very nice Bassett furniture - masculine and feminine at the same time with dark wood and some iron work), he offered $275. And everything was a quarter.. didn't matter what the price was. He offered a quarter. I found out later from other people (who's favorite price was $15 for bundles of things that would total $45) that he was in fact a yard sale troll who would insult people with outrageously low asking prices and then take his finds to the flea market and re-sell them for a profit.

He needed more quarter.

At dinner at one of Nashville's hotspots (Germantown Cafe for those so inclined - some of best food in town. Most expensive thing on the dinner menu is $19 - includes a salad. Rack of lamb.. it looked fabulous. I had coconut curry salmon with risotto and wilted spinach. Oh... my.. god... We looked like fools passing around our plates so we could try everything but who cares.)

So at dinner, Duke Diva was enjoying the little rolls that came with the meal. She said "In the South, we like all things fried. And if it's made with dough, we like it too. If it's fried dough - we love it." I couldn't agree more.

New Members of the RTB

Just so y'all know, the Rocky Top Brigade has grown again. To visit our newest members, go see South Knox Bubba. He's got the list.

Not that guys would be that interested...

In taking this quiz.


Ted: Food & Wine Connoisseur

It's funny - Ted is my favorite on the show.

or maybe this entry should be titled:

Re-use, Re-purpose, Re-decorate

Miss O'Hara writes that all men should be forced to watch Queer Eye so they can learn some sophistication and how to properly treat a woman. I'm not sure I agree with that.

While I love Queer Eye, the premise of it (and most make-over shows) is that the subject is a complete idiot until the team gets there and imparts their wisdom. Same is true for my other favorite make-over show "What not to wear". A few episodes of that and you will see fashion violations - EVERYWHERE.. even in your own closet.

Why are these shows so popular?

1) The car wreck syndrome. You can't help but look and see "there is someone out there in worse shape than me!" Catherine Seipp writes:

You can see in their homes how so many people become prisoners of their own inertia (not to mention surrounding mess) and need help to realize the possibility of a more comfortable life.

2) I think that is related to the nesting phenomenon of a few years ago - young professionals were staying home, entertaining at home more, and focusing more on their new families.

I love going out with my friends, but I love entertaining them in my home even more. There's no pressure to leave a place of business because you haven't ordered a drink or food in an hour though the conversation is still going strong.

Also, I think there is a sub-conscious yearning for more sophistication and appreciation for the finer things in life. Not going back to the days of stuffy parlors, but where it is ok to get dressed up for no real reason. It's ok to know which fork to use and how to hold your knife. It's ok to cook at home (either from scratch or semi-homemade where you cheat a little using some store-bought products to move it along.)

And to have some knowledge of what wines might match a particular dish. You don't have to be a sommelier in training, but if there are a couple of different kinds you like, keep them in your home. Don't forget, you can match beer to food - just like wine. And lots of people appreciate a good cocktail - martinis, sidecars, etc...

Beyond food, redecorating doesn't have to be a $100,000 project - as Trading Spaces has shown the American public. First, clean out your stuff! It's just stuff! Be merciless. Have you touched it in the last year? Re-organize your space. Just because the TV has always been in that spot doesn't mean that you can't free up some room by moving it to the other side.

That old dresser could be re-purposed to be an entertainment center, hiding your (er.. my) massive collection of DVD's and CD's. Style doesn't have to cost a fortune. Class has little to do with money - though they are often both associated with the upper crust. Thanks to places like Target which carry top-brand designers at bargain prices, it doesn't have to require a second mortgage.

Does it really hurt to say please and thank you? Really.... Moisturizer isn’t required but what about washing your face and your hands?

Back to the topic that started this off: the TV show. A plus of the Queer Eye that even my brother liked was that in the end, the subjects felt better about themselves. It was a boost of confidence and a much-needed change.

A purr to: miss_o_hara

Spying on the Enemy

In my ghost box, I received an email with a calendar of local liberal events. Some of them have good intentions. I am very supportative of efforts to feed the homeless but...

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing revolutionary movements active today and is gaining momentum. There are hundreds of autonomous chapters sharing free vegetarian food with hungry people and protesting war and poverty throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. Food Not Bombs is organizing for an end to the occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. We also support actions against the corporate globalization of the economy, restrictions to the movements of people and the destruction of the earth.

On ch. 19 (the local cable access station), they have a show called Speer Presents. And Speer Presensts us with nothing but footage from protests around the country. We the 'throngs' of people marching down West End Ave, chanting and beating their drums. They carry those weird looking puppet things (anyone know what that is about??)

My absolute FAVORITE line in the whole entire thing is that they are in favor of restrictions to the movements of people... So, they want us to be vegetarians but don't want people to move around to find food. You have to stay where you are! No soup for you!

Doesn't that go against thousands of years of human history? Didn't our forebears migrate, following the weather and the four-legged food around? Or was that a fib in my history class?

That whole occupation of Palestine thing is pretty funny too.

Scratches to the Post

Elena writes

I'd rather watch the boys bop the enemy on the head and then feed the troops and sing 'em to sleep when they return. Girly girls do not fight in the battle. We wear all the pretty loot you bring back. *giggle*

Girly girls do fight in battle. We are shieldmaidens of Rohan!

Communists for Kerry!!!




We apologize for the blurry view of the banner. It says "Americans must be governed by educated elites because they are too stupid to think for themselves." The Empress' photo-uploading skills are still lacking.

We approve of this link. We are very amused. Other intelligent people will be as well. See Stalin rock it out on stage. Lenin in his new duds and get the official dress code for your next Communist rally.

A purr to Emperor Misha and Barking Moonbat.

What?

I think that is the more appropriate question. This evening as I was flipping through the channels, I saw the video for the song "Why" by Jadakiss. What prompted me to stay was the anti-war protest going on behind him (and seeing a very white old man in the crowd of young black people pretending that this is 1968 and they are all a part of the Black Panther Party. Sore thumb anybody?)

I've linked all the lyrics below but since the entire song is not-safe-for-work, I've pulled few highlights out for your reading pleasure:

Why is the industry designed to keep the artist in debt

If you weren’t knocking back $1500 bottles of Cristal every night, you might not be in debt. Overall, it’s a solid complaint about the music industry but with outlets like CDBaby.com, if he was REALLY all about the music, he could produce it independently and sell it independent of a label. But, Jadakiss isn’t about being an independent artist. It’s all about the bling-bling and the benjamins, right? It isn’t about the music for you?

Why they gon give you life for a murder

Uh…. Because you killed someone? And while there are people who occasionally deserve it (Jeff Dhamer, the Hussein boys), if it doesn’t have a state sanction, it’s not legal. Only the state and abortion providers have the authority to kill.

Why did Bush knock down the towers

Ohhhh… you saw Fahrenheit 9/11 didn’t you? Michael Moore the co-writer on this song? Let me refresh your memory of the events of that fateful day since are so wrapped up in moon-bat beliefs to remember it all by your lonesome. Terrorists, following the orders of radical clerics, came into the US – starting in the Clinton administration. They trained and worked, and attacked the towers in 1993. Clinton could have caught Osama bin Laden (the man bank-rolling and leading Al Qaida) a couple of different times but chose not to. He chose to get ---- in the Oval Office closet by an intern. I digress. So, that day, these terrorists from the Middle East ATTACKED us. George Bush, until that point, hadn’t done squat with the Middle East and hadn’t done squat with his administration to that point period.

See, it was terrorists who flew into the towers and the Pentagon. It was terrorists who destroyed them and killed 4,000 people. Not Bush. The City of New York decided that the rubble was too much of a hazard and demolished what was left.

Why nig**z can't get no jobs

With grammar like that? That would be why you can’t get ‘no job.’ English, for the time being, is still the predominant language in most of the US. It is helpful for communication with potential employers and in the marketplace to purchase products.

Why they let the Terminator win the election

Because Gray Davis was completely incompetent, subject to a recall and lost? Because Arnold had the money to campaign successfully? Because not all of California is that liberal and Hollywood is only a small part of the entire state?

JADAKISS (f/ Anthony Hamilton) LYRICS - Why

Rocky, get yer gun out

They are a-coming... baby blue caps on their way to montior the elections this fall.

I feel like Aunt Pitty.. "Yankees! In Georgia! I just can't believe it."

UN Officials here.. watching us like we are Zimbabwe and have purposefully disenfranchised people. I'm sorry - I saw the butterfly ballot. And if they were too stupid to figure it out (it wasn't that hard if one took 2 seconds to look at it) maybe they shouldn't be allowed to vote.

WorldNetDaily: Bush invites foreigners to monitor U.S. election

If there was something beyond demented, I would use it

This sick bastard of a moon bat decided to make a fake beheading to provide 'social commentary.'

Insensitive? Insane? Bad Taste? All of the above. I can't begin to imagine what the families of Paul Johnson, the South Koren and Bulgarians would think at such an exploitation of a horrid event for personal gain (he used it to rev up his political campaign first!) Even Nick Berg's father (a moonbat himself) might think this is poor judgement.

A purr to: MartiniPundit

To make someone happy

As he as pointed out in the comments section here and on MartiniPundit, the Kerry quotes below contain a number of Bushisms.

It is certainly not my intention to present faulty research. They came to me via email from a trusted source.

I do accept fault for not verifying them before hand but regardless of who said them, they are freaking funny.

Are you happy CB?

MartiniPundit

Pink Kitty with a gun

OK - Hello Kitty with a gun. They are feeling it out for orders of t-shirts.

And if I can ever get Bama Girl to give me a copy of the pictures from the range, I will post them.

The Smallest Minority

Hat tip: Blake

Crime, Justice, and Punishment

Cisco said he can't understand why anyone would want to steal something that spreads so much cheer.

I know why - if you live next door to such a man and have the wattage of 30,000 bulbs streaming into your home for a month. Yeah, I'd want to steal it too.

TheIndyChannel.com - News - Thief Steals 30,000 Christmas Lights

Photo Fridays


Taken in Memphis, 2002

Ashpanaz (Elena's sister) and I went to Memphis a couple of years ago for a grand adventure. We were on our way to the Treasures of the Tsars exhibit when we passed this sign...

And were instilled with tons of confidence about the breezeway we were walking under. Lesson about travelling - the distance that appears on a map always appears shorter than it actually is. Our hotel was just a few blocks from the exhibit. We would walk... and 45 minutes later we got there. But we were able to point out all the places along the river where Tom Cruise was when he shot The Firm.

Memphis is also where I made my public belly dancing debut. Always fun to surprise the dancer with what you know. :)

We can dream can't we?


An imaginary press conference

- What we really really want to hear -

not-safe-for-work language

Empress Kitty's Social Policy

The Empress' Social Services bureau has already announced tax-payer funded belly dance lessons for all women.. in a continuing effort to better society, we would like to announce our...

Universal Hair Care initiative

Elements of this plan include:
- mandatory use of separate shampoo, conditioner and other hair products such as hair spray, gel and wax.
- body wash and loofahs will be provided.
- we will attempt to stop all pro-terrorist soaps from entering the country.
- John Edwards and John Kerry’s use of product will be limited so that the rest of the state of Ohio will have access to hair care.
- height of hair will be limited so that people can see around it.
- frizzy, well-fried hair will be stopped! Leave in conditioner stations will be placed throughout the country. Size of a dime.. leave in for 5 minutes and shiny, soft, touchable hair is restored.
- perms will be outlawed.
- and crimping irons.

We hope this effort will make the country a better place.

We also hope that this little satire points out the idiocy of much of the social policy in the US (i.e. government funded health care, gun control, seat belts, emissions testing, etc..).

A=purple hippos

WorldNetDaily: Lesbian scene nixed because Bush president?

The logician Sharon Stone concluded that because GWB is President that she couldn't kiss Halle Berry. And that's why the movie is doing poorly.

No, it's doing poorly because, as hot as Halle is, Catwoman is not a character that could carry a whole movie. And the movie was more about putting Halle in skimpy outfits with diamond studded claws (and open toe boots - ick) than you know.. a story.

There aren't any laws that prevent her from kissing Halle. It's just bad taste.

And there have been plenty of on-screen lesbian action for those into it.. and I'm sure Sharon could get her some if she really wanted.

There was Madonna's threesome with Christina and Britney. All of the Rock-n-Roll fashion shows. The L-word on HBO. I'm sure it was on Sex and the City (also on HBO). Probably every porn flick made that isn't centered on gay guys. Angelina Jolie kisses everybody I think.

My question: did Halle want to kiss Sharon?

And my other comment - the whole lipstick lesbian thing is so played out. Madonna does it: it's shocking and everyone freaks out. I saw it on Style's coverage of the Rock-n-Roll fashion tour and it was lame. Not shocking. Just blah...

I'm so jaded.

I knew there was a reason to avoid Kroger

Other than the long lines, poor service, and questionable pricing.

The guy who owns it is bank-rolling Puff Daddy's get out the vote campaign. Ron Burkle is a big Democratic donor who also supported Michael Jackson. Mr. Burkle must be trying to distance himself.. or to ingratiate himself with the hip hop scene. He's also the dollars behind the nationwide Sean John boutiques on the way this fall....

*sigh*

FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Fox411 - Puff Daddy: Behind the Politics

Moving on... am I the only one who's never heard of a priviledge walk? Perhaps it is because I've only gone to school with other priviledged kids it wouldn't be too beneficial...

The premise is that all the kids start in a line and the are divided by color and again by gender. Questions are asked and eventually some cute fit white boy wins the whole thing. The white students are supposed to see how their color/gender has helped them while the minority students tend to resent the whole exercise.

In my class called "Racial, Ethnic, and Social Diversity in Higher Education" or "Why white, straight people suck" or "Indoctrination to Leftist theology 101," we did a similar exercise regarding homosexuality. The professor asked questions and I realized very quickly what was going on. I refused to participate and stood in the middle. Another classmate (also a Christian) joined me in the mini-protest. We were the only two left in the starting positions. Everyone else had moved to the left at varying levels.

Then the question of do you support gay marriage came up. He and I took huge steps to the right (notice the symbolism.. left is yes; right is no) - much to the chagrin of our professor and classmates.

Summing up the entire election in two sentances

"We've been saying it for at least a month and now we're convinced: Bush is toast.

And John Kerry is 'waffles.' Together, they make a delightful breakfast treat."

My question: where is the coffee and juice?

Found at: INDC Journal: The Historical Journalistic Impact of the DNC Blogging Experiment

Quotes

Bushisms? Kerryisms? I'm not sure what belongs to who... and if they are funny or downright scary:

"The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country."

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."

"One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'."

"I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."

"The future will be better tomorrow."

"We're going to have the best educated American people in the world."

"I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."

"We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO. We have a firm commitment to Europe, we are a part of Europe."

"Public speaking is very easy."

"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."

"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."

"For NASA, space is still a high priority."

"Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."

"Its time for the human race to enter the solar system."

From the: Yeah - say it - I was right files

Feminists in Australia are beginning to question the benefits of a sexually permissive society. The Health Minister had this to say:

"The legacy of a permissive society - broken families, mental illness and entrenched welfare dependency - suggests that the old social taboos might have had some point."

Well, slap me silly and color me pink. Who woulda thunk it that when your momma told you to keep it zipped or your knees together that she knew something that maybe ... JUST MAYBE.. the leftist Ivory Tower feminists didn't.

Every action has a consequence.

Along the same line, more from The Australian. The Pope's statement last week about women being short-changed by feminism has some support by Austrailian feminists.

An advocate of paid maternity leave, Ms [Pru] Goward said the papal document - a Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World - could even help reverse the falling birthrate.

Why do we need to reverse the falling birthrate? They are running out of taxpayers!

The Australian: Public shift on abortion: Abbott [August 02, 2004]

Reviving a hobby

Last night, Elena, Duke Diva, and I went to a local Middle Eastern restaurant for a hafla. Or as the flyer on the door said - belly dance party!

I started belly dancing several years ago through some really good at-home instruction tapes. It's only been in the last couple of years that there are teachers in the Nashville area that would make it easy for me to get to their class. I can't drive to Clarksville for a lesson every week... sorry. Just too far.. but now they are closer into town and definately on my list for replacement activities when the estate stuff settles down.

We all jumped up and danced during one of the group things and had a ball!

And if the Empress had her way (and I doubt that many men would object - only the gay ones), all women would learn how to belly dance. Royal decree - belly dancing lessons! I think that is a much better use of taxpayer money than on cow farts, the speed of ketchup on a downhill slope, or paying Congress.

Alot of the teachers get into the whole 'every woman is a goddess' schtick. Pffft... It's much simplier than that. It's a ton of fun and very very sexy.

The original purpose of the dance was not a connection with Mother Earth or a serpent goddess. Coming out of ancient fertility rites, it was about preparing the abdominal muscles for childbirth and attracting a man to have the need to use the abbdominal muscles for childbirth.

Do you think alot of the feminist establishment would be upset at me for saying that?