Monthly Archives: May 2005

Memorial Day

We Remember.

All the men and women who died in the service of this wonderful country, enabling it to continue to be the wonderful country that it is.

May they all Rest in Peace.

May The Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Rest In Peace, Dodger

Our Dodger went to kitty heaven today. He was 13 years old. He’d lost weight over the past year and just 9 weeks ago had his annual physical. His blood tests came back normal and we were asked to supplement his diet with canned food to see if we could get some weight back on him. He loved the food, but kept losing weight and was getting weaker. I took him into the vet this morning and she palpated a very large mass near his liver. Apparently he had an agressive cancer and a much smaller tumor that was not palpable at his physical just ballooned.

When we first got him, my daughter was just over one year old. Dodger was safe anywhere in the house except for in her playpen. She used to pick him up by his tail when he was a kitten. But he loved her dearly and kept going back into her playpen to get “tortured”. It was his choice. The photo below is from a healthier time.
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We loved you Dodger and know that you are now in a better place.

A Change in Nomenclature

We need to change the name we use for the corporate broadcast media, newspapers and magazines. The term “Mainstream” is so misleading. Sure, the “mainstream” media is the media that’s been around for years and a vast number of people get their news and information from it. But it doesn’t reflect the mainstream of American thoughts and beliefs. This is how the Democrats can argue that perfectly qualified judges like Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen are “out of the mainstream”.

The Democrats and the “Mainstream” media reflect each others’ views. Since the media is called “Mainstream” the Democrats, and the media, believe that they are in the mainstream. Therefore, everyone else is out of the mainstream. I call this Pauline Kael Syndrome. Remember Pauline? The late columnist for the New Yorker who reportedly said, “How could Nixon have won? Nobody I know voted for him!” The media and the Democrats reinforce and validate each other.

The Democrats and the media need to realize that they went off on a tributary quite a while ago.

We need a new term for old media.

Related: GOP Bloggers asks

So, in California, the bluest of blue states, Janice Rogers Brown won 76% of the statewide vote and Barbara Boxer won 58% of that same statewide vote. Who’s more mainstream?

Update: How about the Tributary Media??
Update2: Trader Rob at Opinipundit likes “Entrenched Media”. So do we.

We Finally Meet!

Jeff1999 and I have been blogging together for quite a while now, but we live far, far, away from each other. Yesterday, we finally met! Here’s a picture of us at the zoo.
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I’m the one with the leg brace, Jeff1999’s the one in the shorts. It was a beautiful day by the lake and our families had a great couple of hours together before the 1999 family started on their long, long, journey home.

Blagojevich has "Testicular Virility"

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) [Blah-goy-oh-vich] defending his leadership and low poll numbers the other day stated,

…And I think this is the kind of thing that I think, frankly, separates the men from the boys in leadership. Do you have the testicular virility to make a decision like that, knowing what’s coming your way, and then stick to it, which is what I did, and knowing all of this that we’re dealing with now, is what we have to deal with? I say I do.

Of course separating “the men from the boys in leadership” is completely dismissing anyone in leadership who doesn’t happen to have that particular body part. Senator Susan Garrett (D) Lake Forest said,

It should never come down to the language of testicular virility. It’s like male only language that sends a message about domination of women. Women don’t talk about estrogen virility. We don’t need to. It’s a code language.

John Kass at the Chicago Tribune has more on testicular virility, he’s even called NASA to find out about throw weight and thrust. The NASA spokeswoman called back and left a voicemail message:

John? Thrust is the force of the launch vehicle or spacecraft, measured in pounds or newtons. And throw weight is the amount of payload mass you’re ejecting into space.

The Tribune article is here. John Kass’ column is here.

12/09/2008: Rod Blagojevich arrested on corruption charges.

Bill Frist on the Senate Floor

In response to Democratic suggestion that “non-controversial” judges hit the floor first:
Senator Frist on the Senate Floor:

Mr. President as always we will take into consideration all suggestions and be happy to talk to the leadership on both sides of the aisle as to whether that suggestion is the most appropriate way. We have engaged in negotiations in attempts to satisfy both sides for the over the last really four months, five months since these unprecedented filibusters came before this body after 214 years of a threshold of fifty votes, all of a sudden the last congress it was radically changed by the last congress to become 60 votes denying the sort of people like a little bit what we’ve heard over the last few minutes, trying to move to a qualified nominee, Priscilla Owen, and we hear these attempts to delay even right now and to sidetrack and consider somebody else, and that’s the challenge. That’s why we’re on the floor of the United States Senate, with the light of day, with the American people watching at this point to take it to the body of the United States Senate and ask that fundamental question. Is Priscilla Owen out of the mainstream? Eighty-four percent of Texans think she’s in the mainstream, are eighty-four percent of Texans out of the mainstream? And if the answer to that question is no, they’re not out of the mainstream, then all we want is a vote, an up or down vote. Accept, reject, confirm, yes, no. That’s all that we’re asking for. We don’t want the Constitutional Option. We didn’t ask for the Constitutional option. What has happened, because of the other side of the aisle in shattering the Senate tradition for 214 years where filibuster was never even contemplated, now it’s being used on a routine basis. One out of every four of the President’s nominees that have come over for the circuit courts are filibustered, blocked. Not given that responsibility or given that courtesy of a vote, when it’s our responsibility to give advice and consent. So in response to my good friend Democratic leader, yes, let’s consider, as proposals come forward, we’ll consider all the two leaders spent 50 minutes as the papers reported today talking with people who are trying to come to some reasonable conclusion and we’ll continue to do that. I’d be happy to consider another idea. I think what’s important now though is to come to the floor of the United States Senate. Let’s shed light on this, let’s do take this, yes it’s an inside the Senate decision, and we make our traditions and rules, but it is important for the American people to see. Is Priscilla Owen, is Janice Rogers Brown, deserving of a vote, yes or no, on the floor of the United States Senate. So what I would recommend is that we continue discussions, but let’s proceed with this nominee, continue debate over the course of the day and it may take a day, it may take two days, and let’s answer that question. Is she qualified, does she deserve an up or down vote?

Hallway Blogging

I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. (A la Anchoress, I’ll put this posting in the “it’s all about me, me, me” category). We’ve just started our family vacation, I woke up at an ungodly hour (something I tend to do in hotels for some reason) so I’ve scampered outside with my laptop to do some blogging. Is wireless cool or what? Just got this fancy shmancy new laptop and I’m amazed that you can get connected pretty much anywhere these days. Ahhhh precious laptop, giver of serenity, conveyer of information, like a life raft in an ideologically hostile ocean………sorry where was I, drifted off into computing bliss for a second there.

Life’s been a little crazy for the Jeff1999 household. Mrs. 1999 is in her sixth month of pregnancy….so well…..you know…..let’s just say I’ve got my Mr. Attentive hat on pretty much all the time now, which means blogging is going to be a little lighter for awhile. Being the organized family that we are we’ve also just realized that we need to accomodate the baby and so we’ve bought a new house. Again, being the organized family that we are, we’ve apparantly just realized that we now need to sell our house. It’s a good housing market where we live, but it’s kind of scary owning two houses when you’re nowhere near stinking rich.

I find myself selling our house’s great features to almost everyone I talk to as if they are a potetential buyer:

grocery clerk: would you like that double bagged sir?

Jeff: Sure. We’ll need plenty of bags, we’re moving……..yup it’s going to be hard giving up that house…..sure is a beauty….. we’re moving cuz we need more space, not because there’s anything wrong with it….(nervous laughter) say, are you in the market…..

grocery clerk: I’m only sixteen years old sir.

Jeff: Of course, of course ……………………………… do your parent’s like where they’re living?

Bye Bye Harry?

From NRO’s Byron York:

Harry Reid is going to fillibuster Henry Saad, a nominee for a seat on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. “Henry Saad would have been fillibustered anyway,” Reid said. “He’s one of those nominees. All you need to do is have a member go upstairs and look at his confidential report from the FBI and I think we would all agree there is a problem there.”

From Ankle Biting Pundits:

Senate rule 29, Section 5 outlines the punishment for such stupidity:
Quote:
“Any Senator, officer, or employee of the Senate who shall disclose the secret or confidential business or proceedings of the Senate, including the business and proceedings of the committees, subcommittees, and offices of the Senate, shall be liable, if a Senator, to suffer expulsion from the body; and if an officer or employee, to dismissal from the service of the Senate, and to punishment for contempt.”

From Lorie Byrd at Polipundit:

Senator Harry Reid has made some outrageous statements since becoming Senate Minority Leader, but his latest reference to the contents of confidential FBI files may take the cake. When are Republicans going to borrow one of the only successful pages from the Democratic playbook and make an organized and concerted effort (I know, “organized” and “concerted” are words not contained in the GOP playbook) to call attention to the very “radical” and “extreme” statements and methods of Harry Reid?

Michelle Malkin says:

The Senate Minority Leader has what we call in our house “diarrhea of the mouth.

The Captain says:

Worse than that, he has now floated a non-specific charge of malfeasance against Henry Saad against which Saad cannot defend. Saad himself cannot review his file, which contains anything anyone ever said about him to the FBI during his background check, regardless of whether it was true or not. Even those few Republicans who have defended judicial nominees against Reid’s normal smears of “extremism” cannot offer defenses based on the FBI file, because to do so would be to break the same security clearance regulations Reid did in making this statement.

Dirty Harry at Jackson’s Junction says:

It should be interesting to see how this plays in the media. Had a Republican done this the liberal media would be out trying to embarrass and discredit him. They would be asking for separate confirmation from other Republicans hoping it wouldn’t come. In other words: doing their job.

Will they do that to Reid? I’ll let you know when the monkeys start flying out of my butt.

Go read ’em all…

Does the Governor of Nevada (Kenny Guinn [R]) appoint a replacement senator?

mm-5