Addendum to the below, that might also break the pro-life coalition and make it a requirement for the Republicans or their succesor conservative party to nominate a social moderate.

A search for GOP's heirs apparent | csmonitor.com

A solid article from the Christian Science Monitor, making the interesting point that it might be OK to elect a social moderate (e.g. Guiliani) next time around if Bush has already nominated 4 conservative justices to the Supreme Court.

Mark Steyn:

"Why did John Kerry cross the road? "I crossed the road to volunteer for Vietnam. Some of us know something about what it means to cross the road."

My dog seems to have developed allergies recently, she sneezes a lot. Currently she's trying to hack up a lung.

An UPDATE on the official who said he was ashamed to help Bush get into the Air National Guard.

Here's an email from a list I subscribe to:

Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 18:54:06 -0400
From: "Tamsey"
Subject: Barnes says he's ashamed for getting Bush into Texas Guard (WHOOPS! Bush entered the Guard a year BEFORE Barnes was elected into office)

Per Associated Press, "I got a young man named George W. Bush into the National Guard when I was lieutenant governor of Texas," - former Democrat TX Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes

Just one TEENY problem with Barnes' claim for the Kerry campaign..... George Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard in May, 1968 and Barnes was not elected Lt. Governor until 1969. Bush's enlistment in 1968 per MSNBC and here is Barnes' bio (Barnes is coincidentally a long-time Dem activist and one of Kerry's top fund-raisers)

And per CNN there were waiting lists for some positions in the TANG, but no waiting list for F-102 pilots, only "a handful of applicants willing and qualified" for those slots...

"...while Bush's unit in Texas had a waiting list for many spots, he was accepted because he was one of a handful of applicants willing and qualified to spend more than a year in active training flying F-102 jets."

Almost Famous - The "celebrities" who love the GOP. By Rob Long

Umm, you might be familiar with:

Dennis Miller, Charlton Heston, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzennegar, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Tom Osborne, Arnold Palmer, Joe Paterno, Mike Ditka, John Elway, Frank Gifford, Franco Harris, Lou Holtz, Tom Landry, Karl Malone, Dan Marino, Rick Dees, Troy Aikman, Bill Belichick, Jerome Bettis, Bobby Bowden, Al Michaels, Phil Mickelson, Jim Nantz, Nolan Ryan, Don Shula, Roger Staubach, Pat Summerall, Tom Clancy, Catherine Coulter, Drew Carey, Dean Cain, Robert Duvall, Jamie Farr, Chuck Norris, Kevin Sorbo, Sylvester Stallone, Ben Stein, James Woods, Wayne Newton, Jaclyn Smith, Dr. Phil (McGraw), Maury Povich, Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek, Nancy Cartwright, Amy Grant, Lee Greenwood, Sammy Hagar, Loretta Lynn, Ted Nugent, Randy Travis, Lou Dobbs, Anderson Cooper, Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Bo Derek, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod), Tom Sellick, James Woods, Emma Caulfield, Adam Sandler, Shannon Doherty, Freddie Prinz Jr., Bruce Willis, Bo Derek, Danny Aiello, Rick Schroder, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jeff Foxworthy, Vincent Gallo, Kid Rock, James Caviezel, Gary Cherone, Larry miller, Wayne Gretzky, Nick Lachey, Robert Duvall, Rob Lowe, Dennis Franz, Rachel Hunter, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Tony Danza, Dennis Hopper, Jackie Mason, Jimmy "JJ" Walker, Mario Lemieux, Dixie Carter, Michael W. Smith, Daize Shayne, Ron Silver, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Sara Evans, Dana Glover, Vince Vaughn, Steve Young, Chaka Khan, Jon Secada, Marilyn Manson, David Robinson, Dennis Quaid, Roger Clemens, Gene Simmons, James Earl Jones, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Jason Priestley, Wayne Newton, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME, SHIRLEY JONES, Johnny Ramone, Heather Locklear, Metallica, Godsmack, ZZ Top, Ricky Martin, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Jessica Simpson, David Spade, Meat Loaf, Lyle Lovett, Clint Black, Craig Biggio, Jeff Kent, Van Morrison, Norm MacDonald, Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, John Malkovich, Stephen Baldwin, Alice Cooper, Cheryl Ladd, Debbie BRANNIGAN, Kim Alexis, Rachel Hunter, Audra Lynn, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kim Komando, Kennedy (MTV VJ), Martina McBride, Reggie White, Denzel Washington.

Salon.com News | "I'm very ashamed"

Another bombshell in the battle over Vietnam service that has been raging in the 2004 presidential race exploded on the Web Friday. In a video originally posted on the Web by a pro-Kerry organization in Austin, Texas, Ben Barnes, a former lieutenant governor of Texas, apologized for his role in getting a young George W. Bush into the Texas Air National Guard while young men who were not from prominent or wealthy families "died in Vietnam."

This is insane! Members of that ANG unit were fighting in Vietnam when Bush joined it. To join a unit already deployed to the combat-zone is a darn foolish way to avoid a war.

Oh man! The Democrat (cough, loser, cough) attacking Bush on Fox just attacked him for "having been a cheerleader in High School becuase he couldn't make the football team".

About Bush, notes the Washington Post when in High School, "'He was kind to the athletically challenged,' said Wofsey, now a Pennsylvania psychiatrist."

Further, "He was considered a solid athlete – he played varsity basketball and baseball his senior year – but he was never among the class stars."

Q-tips are great.

Salon.com News | Italy horrified with hostage killing:

"Berlusconi defied public opinion when he decided to support President Bush by sending about 3,000 troops to Iraq after the ouster of Saddam Hussein."

That't the way republican government is supposed to work.

Entry-Level Loan Officer:

"If you want to be in the mortgage industry, learning about this exciting career, make good money in this billion $ movement. Please contact us asap."

Hmm, I wasn't aware that the mortgage industry was a movement.

Aye,Surrender! - Dusty Brand T-Shirts

Jeanetta needs this t-shirt.

Fox News tonight. Brit Hume says, "John Kerry speaking at a Martin Luther King day celebration in Virginia last year said, quote, "I remember well April 1968, I was serving in Vietnam. A place of violence. When the news reports brought home to me and my crew mates the violence back home and the tragic news that one of the bullets flying that terrible spring took the life of Dr. King." That date, of Dr. King's death, was April 4, 1968. According to kerry's website, it was not until November 17, 1968, that he reported for duty in Vietnam."

The New Republic Online: Remembering Michael Kelly

Another interesting thing about Shattered Glass is that it features a bit on Michael Kelly and his firing as editor of TNR. Which was a mixed thing, it let him go on to greatness at National Journal and Atlantic Monthly, but also sent him eventually back to Iraq, where he died, widowing his wife and orphaning his child.

Shattered Glass (2003)

I'm watching this movie. It's great so far. (Not least cause it batters The New Republic.) Also, it has Chloë Sevigny in it, who was in The Last Days of Disco and is an actress I really like. Melanie Lynskey, who I've never come across before, is good as well.

Rudy Gersten on the NBA and the Olympics on National Review Online:

Several of these players will be in the basketball Hall of Fame one day. But there ought to be an asterisk next to each of their names, to let generations to come know that they decided not to represent our country in the Olympics while America was at war.

To be fair, not all of these guys were cowards. Kobe Bryant has a few legal issues to deal with this summer, and Ray Allen's wife is expecting a baby. They get a pass. But the rest of the players who abandoned Team U.S.A should be ashamed of themselves (not that Kobe shouldn't be, for other reasons).

That bit about Kobe cracked me up.

Victor Davis Hanson on Europe and Troop Withdrawal on National Review Online

This is fairly frightening.

Jeanetta is still alive if anyone was wondering. Her computer, however, is broken. She says it should be fixed and she'll be back soon.

Jewish Journal of Los Angeles on The Da Vinci Code:

What grabs Jews is the return to history.... If you look at adult education classes being offered all over town, you see people in the Jewish community are very hungry for history, for learning. That is where The Da Vinci Code is most dangerous... On the one hand, it resonateswith a deep desire for education; on the other hand, you're satisfying that desire with inaccurate information. It's like watching "CSI" and taking it all as scientific fact, or watching "ER" and trying to practice medicine.

The Dating Dearth: A Man's Perspective

This article is older, but still interesting.

The Corner on National Review Online:

"RECORD TIME --Michael Graham
"K-Lo, on my radio show this morning, we played audio from August 1 of John Kerry suggesting re-deployment of troops currently in South Korea. That means he's changed positions since the convention. This isn't flip-flopping it's intellectual ADHD."

Why are people still suprised by this stuff?

Liberals who think that Foxnews is conservatively biased should take a look at "The 700 Club". That is conservatively biased news. Between Bill Moyers and Pat Robertson is Foxnews, rightly calling itself "Fair and Balanced" I think.

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: "If All Characters Were Named After Places in Maine"

FT June/July 2004: The Public Square:

"By the end of the nineteenth century, after much wrangling, Harvard had dropped Veritas pro Christo et ecclesia from its motto, settling for the one word, Veritas. This March, Columbia University redesigned its symbol, a crown with three crosses, by removing the crosses. Columbia was established 250 years ago as an Anglican college and chartered by King George II. Predictably, some conservatives lamented the change. Others, however, took comfort in the fact that the university, while no longer Christian, is still monarchist. "

FT June/July 2004: Correspondence: "The Virtues of Penance"--Alice von Hildebrand
Well that's a radical call. I'm not sure what to make of it exactly. I'm inclined to think that in our culture whipping too has been sexualized, but hairshirts might work.

Android-USA Official Website

If anyone's looking to get me a watch, I like the blue faced one.

Bob Sagget reminds me of Thomas.

They're showing an episode of Homicide on TNT. I wonder if this is a new regular thing. Should relieve the tedium of the Olympics.

I've started reading The Sparrow, a sci-fi novel about Jesuits. I'm not too far into it yet, so I can't really give it a complete thumbs up yet. But it's looking promising.

Yes, this blog is a strange mix of stuff you should care about and stuff you probably really don't care about.

Oh man, my last pair of khakis that we're the right length just wore out. Now I'll have to get those other ones shortened so I have pants to wear.

I saw a magazine at the library today with a list of places to hold wedding receptions in Richmond. One of them was the Virginia Holocaust Museum. That option struck me as entirely inapropriate as a place to hold one's reception. I understand that this can be a big money maker for museums, but it seemed that even hosting such events would be a dubious thing for the museum to do.

There were some changes to the sidebar, btw. I'll let each discover them for himself.

Sam: you hear from the FBI?
Jeanetta: nopers
Sam: got an email from my ND roomate that they visited him
...
Jeanetta: do they call first, or just land a black helicopter in your yard and break down the door?

The Corner on National Review Online:

"OBESITY [Ramesh Ponnuru]
"The Public Interest has an interesting article by two economists. It notes that obesity rates have doubled since 1980, and concludes that two factors were primarily responsible: the growth in the number of fast-food and other restaurants (itself, they say, largely driven by increases in female labor force participation) accounted for two-thirds of the increase in obesity; the rise in the price of cigarettes (largely driven by taxes) accounted for another fifth."

Paul "Red" Adair, 89, R.I.P.

Oh man! From Craigslist (note portion I have italicized and bolded):

"free gerbils:

"Reply to: bethesdavideo@comcast.net
"Date: 2004-08-05, 3:05PM EDT

"2 white and 1 brown 5 weeks old. Another litter of 5 will be ready in 3 weeks-1 black, 1 white, 3 brown. These are pets not food.

"susan"

I am curious how she will enforce this rule. Will there be followup visits to make sure you haven't snacked on them in the meantime? What if you take a male and a female and only eat the offspring, does that break the rule? Was it really neccesary for Susan to point this out in the first place?

Text of letter from bishops:

"The Church also recognizes that there is a manifest lack of a proper disposition for Holy Communion in those whose outward conduct is 'seriously, clearly, and steadfastly contrary' to the Church's moral teaching (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 37b). A manifest lack of proper disposition for Holy Communion is found to be present in those who consistently support pro-abortion legislation. Because support for pro-abortion legislation is gravely sinful, such persons should not be admitted to Holy Communion.

"We also take this opportunity to address all Catholics whose beliefs and conduct do not correspond to the Gospel and to Church teaching. To receive the great gift of God - the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ - we must approach Holy Communion free from mortal sin. Those who are conscious of being in a state of grave sin should avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Holy Communion. To partake of the Eucharist is to partake of Christ Himself, and to enter into sacramental communion with our Lord we must all be properly disposed.

"Because of the influence that Catholics in public life have on the conduct of our daily lives and on the formation of our nation's future, we declare that Catholics serving in public life espousing positions contrary to the teaching of the Church on the sanctity and inviolability of human life, especially those running for or elected to public office, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in any Catholic church within our jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Dioceses of Charleston and Charlotte. Only after reconciliation with the Church has occurred, with the knowledge and consent of the local bishop, and public disavowal of former support for procured abortion, will the individual be permitted to approach the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

"We undertake this action to safeguard the sacred dignity of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, to reassure the faithful, and to save sinners.


"Most Reverend John F. Donoghue

"Archbishop of Atlanta

"Most Reverend Robert J. Baker

"Bishop of Charleston

"Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis

"Bishop of Charlotte"

Hosanna!

Salon.com News | Danish officer accused in Iraq prison case:

"Aug. 5, 2004 | Copenhagen, Denmark -- A Danish army officer was accused by military prosecutors Thursday of allegedly denying food and water to detainees in Iraq, forcing them to sit in �painful positions� and verbally humiliating them. "

Establishing that it's not just evil Americans.

Don King - Why Blacks Should Vote Republican.

This I find very interesting.

I went to Barnes and Noble today, and there was a lot of witty commentary I thought of while I was there. I had failed to bring my notebook with me, however, so I didn't write any of it down; now I have forgotten my witticisms.

USATODAY.com - Poll: No boost for Kerry after convention

Good news!

I also find it interesting that Kerry and Edwards are campaigning together. Trying to be together one effective candidate, combating Edwards vacuity and Kerry's somnulence. The problem with this is that you only reach half as many voters as you do campaigning apart.