Res Ipsa Loquitur

Objection

I like trial work for the most part....one of my favorite things is to make objections like this:

Mine however are rarely overruled.

Today's Mail

Today I am excited to confirm that I received not one, but two e-mails from lukeoa@voila.fr. Mr. lukeoa@voila.fr apparently needs some assistance smuggling his ill-gotten gains out of Nigeria, and mistakenly thinks that I would help him, lukeoa@voila.fr, do this.

lukeoa@voila.fr also writes that he was "opportune and pleasured to come across my Contact through this satellite media." I'm sure he was, whomever lukeoa@voila.fr may be.

I'm sure that lukeoa@voila.fr will be equally pleasured by the opportunities he will soon receive as a result of my posting his e-mail address. (Thanks, Steve for the idea!)

That's lukeoa@voila.fr in case you missed it.

TTFN, Peter

It's official, Arnett has been fired by NBC.

"It was wrong for Mr. Arnett to grant an interview to state-controlled Iraqi TV, especially at a time of war," NBC spokeswoman Allison Gollust said. "And it was wrong for him to discuss his personal observations and opinions in that interview."

No shit Sherlock, ya think? And what does Peter have to say for himself?

Arnett, on NBC's "Today" show on Monday, said he was sorry for his statement but added, "I said over the weekend what we all know about the war."

"I want to apologize to the American people for clearly making a misjudgment," Arnett said.

Which misjudgment would that be Peter? That our "first war plan had failed because of Iraq's resistance"? Or that reporters should, I don't know, report the news and not insert their personal opinions? Or maybe that brown-nosing reporters shouldn't give interviews to TV stations run by nations with which we are at war?

How about all of the above?

Emergency Military Contact Info

If you have a family member in the military, and you need to contact them quickly due to an emergency, would you know whom to call for help? Your local Red Cross chapter, that's who. They will work with the military to find and deliver a message to the service member as quickly as humanly possible.

I can vouch for their efficiency. Last year, right before Christmas, there was a death in my ex's immediate family. My son had just gotten stationed in Japan, and we didn't have any way to contact him. (He was calling me once a week, but had just called the day before.) I called the Red Cross, gave them all the information I had. They called the funeral home to confirm, and then relayed the message to Japan. My son called about 2 hours later, was granted emergency leave and was here within 2 days. The military and the Red Cross moved heaven & earth to ensure he made it in time for the funeral. I don't know what we would've done without them. They were wonderful.

Of course, this service is reserved for real emergencies, like serious illness or death, and they _will_ check to make sure it's real. But there's also another situation with which they will help.

Families also can use the program if they have not heard from their military family member in several months. A message will be sent to the soldier to contact his family.

"Kids don't write, and mothers get concerned," Horn said of young enlisted personnel. "I've seen first sergeants grab them up, sit them down with a postcard and make them write their mothers."

Heh heh. I bet their first sergeants aren't really happy if they have to do that. So contact your mother...she worries.

Our local Red Cross can be reached at 442-4291 or www.nwarkansas.redcross.org.

China Stepping Up?

China reportedly shut down its oil pipeline to North Korea for 3 days after the firing of the second missile test by NK.

China cited technical problems for the three-day shutdown in March of an oil pipeline running from its northeastern province of Liaoning to North Korea, but the message was clear: behave, a Western diplomat said.

"The tough message was: get straight," the diplomat told Reuters.

No one wants the Great Looney to develop nuclear weapons. China, a long time supporter of his regime, is one of the few nations who has a chance of stopping him.

And apparently China understands that sometimes the only way to get the attention of a recalcitrant jackass is to smack him hard right between the ears with a big stick.

Mmmm, Ribs!

It's what's for dinner.

Stupid Closet

My daughter, the child formerly known as Bride-zilla, has called off her engagement & is moving this weekend into a house with 3 roommates. We took her some tools this afternoon (and got roped into helping her paint) and she gave us a tour of the new place. As we walked to the end of a hallway, she said "Oh, and here is the stupid closet." What, we asked, is a "stupid" closet? She opened the door. Inside hung her wedding dress & that of one of her roommates, who is recently divorced. She said they decided to put their dresses in there, nothing else, and call it the "stupid" closet.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Pro-War Protesters

On our way back from my daughter's new house, we passed by a fairly large group waving flags and "Support the Troops" & "Liberate Iraq" signs....several also had "Honk if you support the troops" signs. They were at a busy intersection, and the honking of the passers-by was almost deafening, as was the cheers from the crowd everytime someone honked. Mike estimated at least 150 participants.....young, old, you name it. Even what appeared to be some ROTC kids. There was several media types there, so maybe there'll be photos in tomorrow's newspaper....and a couple of cops for crowd control. The kids were a bit rowdy in encouraging people to honk.

It was great!

Road to Perdition

Cal Thomas seems to think that overturning the Texas anti-sodomy law will put us on that slippery road to perdition.

Before the Supreme Court rules that the Founders had the right to practice sodomy in mind when they wrote the Constitution, we should ask where the chipping away at law and morality is leading us.

While I agree those are always legitimate concerns, I think he's wrong that if we allow sodomy, then we can't draw the line to stop other more undesirable behavior. Of course we can...we do it all the time. Polygamy? Nope, 2 people per marriage please. Besides, how many guys really want multiple wives nagging at them constantly? Or how many women would want multiple husbands? The toilet seats would always be up, and who would get control of the remote? And then there's that perennial favorite, pedophilia.

Pedophiles who wish to have sex with children assert they should not be prohibited from doing so as long as the child "consents." There is a movement within psychiatry to have pedophilia removed from the shrinking list of "deviant" behaviors, as was done with homosexual practice. What is to prohibit them from doing so if pedophiles testify their fulfillment is being denied, and they feel discriminated against for practicing what, to them, is normal? Since truth is now in the mind and genitalia of the beholder, how can anyone with a different mindset (or different genitalia) tell anyone else how and when to engage in any sexual act in which he or she might wish to indulge?

Nice try Cal, but that dog won't hunt. A child is incapable of consenting due to their age...which is why we have statutory rape laws. Children do not have the intellectual capacity to make that kind of decision...which is also why they aren't allowed to enter into contracts, drink, drive cars, smoke or gamble. And if a pedophile's fulfillment is denied, so what? We deny, and rightly so, the "fulfillment" of serial killers, necrophiliacs, and zoophiliacs....because some behavior is so repugnant and damaging to a civilized society that it cannot be tolerated.

And then there's the ultimate horror:

Adoption laws in some states now give children to same-sex couples. If the Texas sodomy law falls, "marriage" will be redefined and the demise of the human family will be complete.

I was unaware that homosexual couples do not constitute a "human family". Puh-lease. I hate to burst Cal's bubble, but there's all kinds of families...always have been. If anything, the Cleavers are an anomaly. Families are defined by relationships, not gender. Look around out here in the real world, Cal...you will be surprised at what you find.

NOTE: This post is about line-drawing & the law, not the morality or immorality of homosexuality. If you choose to ignore this distinction in your comments, I reserve the right to delete your comments and/or ban your IP. Go post it on your own blog.

BBC Biased?

According to the BBC, the "anti-war" protests are as popular as ever world-wide....even in the U.S., where "the city of Boston held what observers said was the biggest march since the Vietnam War".

However, somehow they neglected to mention that in London, only 100 protesters showed up or that Prime Minister Blair's popularity rating is the highest it has been in 9 months. Nor did they mention this:

About 4,000 Canadians angered by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's decision not to support a war without United Nations approval marched in front of the Parliament building in Ottawa, waving flags of the U.S. and allies Britain and Australia.

In the United States, up to 12,000 flag-waving war supporters packed the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. A rally in Cape Cod, Mass., supporting U.S. troops drew about 2,000 and in Miami, thousands of Cuban exiles and others marched to support the military and to oppose opening relations with communist Cuba.

Nope, no bias here.

Resume Update

I've been updating & polishing my resume (again) today....I wanted to list my "Mad Internet Research Skillz", but Mike convinced me that wasn't quite the best way to word that.

*sigh* Professionalism can be so boring.

Taunting the NYC Protesters

I may have to start watching Fox more....Rodger has the scoop.

I don't know why the protesters got so upset...Fox has the same First Amendment rights as they do.

Great Idea

Vicky has a great idea. Here's the one I sent her:

There's quite the large selection....and you can add any message. Try it, you'll like it.

Blogging Supervisor

See what I mean?

Quite the critic Sollie is, though he really sucks at spellchecking.

Blogshares

This is cracking me up....I'm apparently worth the whopping sum of $0.23. C'mon, I'm worth at least $0.25. After all, I frequently blog with a snoring pug in my lap. That alone should be worth the extra $0.02 for difficulty.

Cavuto's Takedown

If you didn't watch Neil Cavuto today, you missed one of the best butt reamings of an Ivy League journalism professor I've ever heard anywhere. And thanks to Laurence posting about it over at The Command Post, if you did miss it, you can read a transcript here.

It is a thing of beauty. Go read.

Good News

Our local tv station reports that a Shawnee, Oklahoma native had been captured by Iraqi troops but escaped and is now safely back with his unit. The name of the soldier was not released.

That is good news indeed.

Caption This

James is looking for captions for a Rumsfeld photo...go have fun.

I even made my own lame contribution.

Hijacked Airliner

There's been a Turkish airliner hijacked with 203 passengers & crew aboard.

Fox TV news just reported the plane has landed in Greece. Details are sketchy right now, so stay tuned.

So Long Suckers!

Kansas 69 Duke 65. (Link via Fark)

Whom did I want to win the NCAA Tourney? Anyone but Duke.

Duke sucks.

Press Conference

I'm watching Ari's press conference, he just announced the UN Security Council has unanimously approved restarting the food-for-oil program.

In unrelated news, Helen Thomas is wearing a blue suit, white top & red scarf and just asked a halfway coherent legitimate question. Perhaps she's getting a clue?

I-540 Attacker Update

The alleged I-540 rapist I posted about last year has been found competent to stand trial. To refresh everyone's memory about this lowlife, here's what happened:

McCarter allegedly followed an 18-year-old Fort Smith woman and a 19-year-old Barling woman at about 2:30 a.m. from Dickson Street in Fayetteville onto I-540 south, according to a police report. After following them for a few miles, he rear-ended their vehicle near Winslow, causing their car to crash into the median, police said.

Two passing motorists stopped and rescued the women and subdued the suspect until police arrived.

His defense appears to be that he was drunk and the girls were lying.

In the evaluation, McCarter stated that he didn't remember what happened that night. He said he was intoxicated and had a confrontation with a bouncer in the Fayetteville area earlier in the evening and when police came to the bar, they transported him to his friend's house.

McCarter stated in the evaluation that the women wrecked their car and that his car had no damage. He believed the women made up the rape story to get them out of trouble with their family for being out late and wrecking the car. He said the women lied because they were drinking under-age at the bars.

Hate to burst your bubble there bucky, but voluntary intoxication is not a valid defense in Arkansas....and no jury is going to buy that those two guys stopped & beat the crap out of you for no reason.

Gonna suck to be you when you meet your new cellmate, Big Bubba.

Running Late

I know, I know, I'm running late this morning...big deal. Mike's Wagoneer finally got fixed (we hope) yesterday, so I had to take him to work this morning so he can drive it home tonight. Looks like we had good timing, yesterday it was in the 70's & sunny....this morning it's cold, 39 & falling, rain mixed with snow. Actually, right now it looks like it's switching over to a hard snow shower. He may need the 4 wheel drive to get home.

Ah, Arkansas springtime...if you don't like the current weather, just wait a few minutes, it'll change.

Arkie War Casuality

Vicky reports we've sadly suffered our first war casuality, Navy Medic Michael Vann Johnson, Jr, who was killed in action while tending to wounded soldiers. He was a Little Rock native.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Job Classification

I have several job scouts set up on the Arkansas Employment Security Division website....each runs a search once per day in my selected job categories and then e-mails me the results.

I just got today's results and was amused to see that "Sanitation Supervisor" is classified under the legal jobs category...I'm not saying that's not appropriate perhaps, but that's not exactly the type of job for which I'm looking.

Ya know what I mean?

Brain Pain

Data warehouses are expanding at an amazing rate.

Data warehouses with as much as 100 to 200 terabytes of raw data will be operational by next year, performing nearly 2,000 concurrent queries and occupying nearly 1 petabyte (1,000 terabytes) of disk space. In the same time period, transaction-processing databases will handle workloads of nearly 66,000 transactions per second.

Just trying to imagine that many 1's and 0's makes my brain hurt.

How Annoying

One of my projects for today was to begin teaching myself Visual Basic. Mike has some materials from when he had to learn it for work that I had planned to use. I can't find the bloody CD that has the examples & templates on it that are required to work the lessons in the book. It is making me mad.

On the bright side, I did find the pocketknife that Mike had lost....doesn't help me any but at least this morning hasn't been a total loss.

I Don't Think So

France wants the UN to handle the post-war Iraq reconstruction, especially the restarting of the oil-for-food program.

"The U.N. must be at the heart of the reconstruction and administration of Iraq," said Villepin, speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

"The legitimacy of our action depends on it. We must come together to build peace together in a region rife with a sense of insecurity and deep fault lines."

That's nice. I hear people in hell want ice water too.

In a passionate speech, he rekindled the memory of Anglo-French cooperation to defeat the Nazis in World War II, and said he was confident France and the United States would resolve their differences.

"Because they share common values, the United States and France will re-establish close cooperation in complete solidarity," he said. "We owe it to the friendship between our peoples."

And sucking up now isn't going to help you any, Dominique (who is allegedly a man). See, our peeps aren't going to forget what your peeps let you do....stab us in the back by your little veto thing.

Now what's my answer to your UN proposal??? Oh yeah, Blow. Me. We send our soldiers in to fight & die to get Saddam out of power, and then you want to come along and make more money off the aftermath.

I don't think so...to the victor goes the spoils, mon petit poulet de plume blanc.

Helpful Hints

I received the following helpful hints from a friend, but now I'm wondering just how good of a friend she really is...though I'm sorely tempted to try Hint #4.

Helpful Hint #1: If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic! Simply pour a jug of boiling water down your throat and presto! The blockage is almost instantly removed.

Helpful Hint #2: Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away!

Helpful Hint #3: Don't buy expensive 'ribbed' condoms, just buy an ordinary one and slip a handful of frozen peas inside it before you put it on.

Helpful Hint #4: Putting just the right amount of gin in your goldfish bowl makes the fishes' eyes bulge and cause them to swim in an amusing manner.

Helpful Hint #5: An empty aluminum cigar tube filled with angry wasps makes a wonderful inexpensive vibrator.

Helpful Hint #6: Avoid arguments with the missus about lifting the toilet seat by simply pissing in the sink.

Helpful Hint #7: High blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a while, thus reducing the pressure in your veins.

Helpful Hint #8: A mouse trap placed on top on of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep.

Helpful Hint #9: If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. Then you will be afraid to cough.

Local "Die-In"

Some of our local university idiots students staged a "die-in" in front of the student union yesterday. (Judging from the photo, I'd recommend a liberal application of sunscreen on their little baldy heads next time.) There were about 40 participants, mostly ignored by the rest of the student body.

Students took turns lying on the ground with pictures of what organizers said were Iraqi civilians taped to their chests and backs. A few members of the Northwest Arkansas Coalition for Peace, a community-based organization, personified death as they roamed through the crowd in black robes, drawing outlines around the bodies. The still bodies and black-cloaked figures were a striking counterpoint to the warm, sunny day, as other students walked past and often through the demonstration.

How very street theater. Mike keeps wanting to do a little street theater there himself....things like jumping out of the bushes with a squirt gun and say to the startled students "If I were a Palestinian homicide bomber, you'd be dead now." But as his attorney, I've pointed out the high likelihood of his getting arrested for exercising his First Amd. rights in that particular manner....especially since he is neither a student nor supporting the university's leftist agenda.

I think the photos of the alleged Iraqi civilians who are being killed in the war is a great idea. However, as the Cracker Barrel Philosopher points out, most of 'em ain't being killed by us.

Of course, the pro-Saddam set have never been ones to let the facts get in the way of a publicity-seeking "protest".

Congrats!

Congratulations to Steve, Scott and Laurence for winning a prestigious Dilly award. Couldn't have happened to nicer guys...well it could've but anyway....

Congratulations!

Googling For Guts

My newly-single daughter is here, working on a presentation on peptic ulcers for her nursing class. She just asked for help finding a picture of intestines (yuck!), and I showed her how to Google for images.

She was amazed. Found exactly what she needed, then started playing. We may get her computer literate yet.

Just Like a Woman

A 64 yr. old South Carolina woman shot a man who broke into her home with her .357. (Link via Fark) Police later arrested the wounded fool, who had a lengthy record of previous armed robberies.

Why the .357? Besides the obvious, an elderly widow living alone, she had a perfectly logical feminine reason.

"I would have used a shotgun, but I had just had new countertops done and I didn't want to tear up the kitchen."

You go, girl.

Hurray!

Not only is the war going well, but I was overjoyed to read this morning that we are at long last getting a Starbucks! (Link via Fark) How exciting is that? Sure, the first one will be in central Little Rock, which with the neverending construction on I-40 is a 4 hr. drive from here, but we'll get one of our very own here in Fayette-nam soon. And we'll finally get removed from the list of states that do not have a single Starbucks anywhere in the state.

It took the company so long to come to Arkansas because a strong market for the shops in urban areas pushed the state back on the list, Lewis said.

Why, pretty soon you won't be able to swing a dead cat without hitting a Starbucks....and all those pro-Saddam protesters will finally have a brand-name coffee shop at which to sit & discuss the success of their lame, poorly attended protests. I even hear tell they even have these little special-made stirrers which will replace our freshly cut sticks.

Progress isn't always a good thing though, you know....first comes Starbucks, then they start expecting you to wear shoes all the time.

Back

I'm finally home again...but bushed. Spent most of the day with my quasi-daughter & her family. The girls (ages 11 & 10) made good use of the hotel pool. The youngest, who is looking more & more like her mom every time I see her, was showing me her new diving skills. Unfortunately, exactly like her mom, she refuses to keep her head down and belly flopped every time. It was cracking me up....I spent every day for at least 2 summers trying unsuccessfully to teach her mom to dive. And to see her daughter do the same thing was like watching an old home movie from years ago.

Mike finally got to meet them...and now he is their new best friend. We went with them last night to Old Navy to get a swimsuit for the youngest, who had forgotten hers. Both girls wanted new sunglasses, but their parents told them no. So Mike caught everyone not looking, bought a pair for each girl, and surprised them with it when we left the store. The girls _loved_ them, and have only taken them off to sleep.

Quite a sweetie, my husband.

Out

If today goes as planned, I will be away from a computer most of the day....bench trial this morning & visiting my quasi-daughter & family the rest of the day. Of course, my days rarely go as planned, so who knows?

In the interim, hold down the fort while I'm gone.

Dinner Plans

I had a nice surprise while I've been out running errands & such today. I got a call from my former stepdaughter in Little Rock, who is coming to town this afternoon & wanted to get together. We haven't seen each other in a while...she has two girls and something always seems to come up when we make plans. So I hope she can make it this time. I miss her.

It's always difficult to explain our relationship to others...but she & I decided when her dad & I got divorced that it didn't mean she & I were divorcing each other. It really didn't make much difference in our relationship, we've always been very close even though we don't get to see each other much now that she's all grown-up. But we've never found a good name for it. "Former stepdaughter/stepmom" just doesn't do it. The closest we've found is "quasi-adopted", which just sounds weird.

Oh well, just another one of my youngun's I guess.

Fascinating Sound Projection

A gentleman named Woody Norris has invented a device with which you can project sound into another person's head....it's called HyperSonic Sound. It consists of an aluminium plate attached to a CD player and a special amplifier that directs the sound much like a laser directs a beam of light. (link via Fark)

Just imagine all the possible uses of such a device...for good and evil. Simply fascinating.

Buy a Gun for Michael

Aaron's nicely asked me to help spread the word...inspired by the "Eat an Animal for PETA Day", he's started a "Buy a Gun for Michael Moore Day". And all you Photoshop experts crank up your machines (or whatever the hell it is you do)...Aaron's posted his own rendition of Michael bearing arms.

Aaron's also asking for suggestions on a good handgun for a L.A. resident like himself. So go tell him what he should buy, and then go buy one yourself. After all, guns are like any other tool...you can never have too many.

Bombing Refugees

We've heavily bombed northern Iraq, and the residents are fleeing...but not for the reason the anti-war crowd would have you believe.

"People are evacuating, but not because of the bombing. They are afraid Saddam will respond with chemical weapons," said Ahmad Qafoor, a schoolteacher.

You know, those weapons he doesn't have & didn't previously use against the Kurds. [/sarcasm]

I suspect there's several things going on here. One is the obvious overall war campaign against Saddam's troops wherever they're located. Another is I think we're planning to use the airfields in that area to bring in troops & equipment since Turkey refused to let us use theirs. And it'll serve as a friendly reminder for Turkey to keep their skinny asses over on their side of the line and away from the Kurds.

Multi-tasking...it's what we do best.

Pro-USA Protest

One of our own, Aaron, says he led the cheers at a rally for our troops yesterday...conveniently located across the street from a pro-Saddam protest.

Good job! We should do more of this.

Mike's New Toy

Mike's posted some of our Chicago vacation photos...taken during our trip to visit my son about a year & a half ago. Buildings, museums, all kinds of neat stuff.

When you click on the link in his post, it takes you to a slideshow of all the photos. Yeah, Mike's got a new geek toy.

Packing Help

We've been packing some things to ship to my son overseas. I keep having to stop & chase Sollie down to get styrofoam out of his mouth.

He apparently thinks it's some new kind of yummy doggie treat. It's like having a short hairy 4 legged 2 yr. old.

My Kiddos

Here's a photo of my kiddos, taken at my son's graduation from the Camp Pendleton Navy Medic School.

My brains and their dad's good looks...much better combo than the reverse.

Murderer

MSNBC tv news just reported that Sgt. Asan Akbar, the soldier responsible for the grenade attack on his own troops did so because he was opposed to the war and opposed to killing Muslims.

Reuters is also reporting a similar motive.

Murdering bastard...I hope they hang him slow.

Rename "Shock and Awe"?

I don't usually comment on Dowd's columns....shooting fish in a barrel gets boring after a few minutes. But there was something in today's column that made me giggle. She suggests that instead of calling our bombing campaign "Shock and Awe", the "hawks" should've named it "Operation Who's Your Daddy?"...like that's a bad thing??

I kinda like it. Besides demonstrating the absurdity of a woman her age trying to fit in with the teenage crowd (listening to Eminem is really paying off for her isn't it?), it also basically says the same thing in more modern terms.

So it got me thinking....what would you re-name "Shock and Awe"? Here's a couple of our ideas to get you started.

---Operation Sucks to Be You, Saddam (Mike)

---Operation Now Who My Bitch? (Mine)

Knock yourselves out.

New Look for Palace

James has a photo of the little redecorating job we've done on Saddam's palace. I like what we've done with the place....but I think a decapitated statue of Saddam would better fit our theme of "deconstructionist minimalism".

Emphasis on the "deconstruction"

Too Little, Too Late

France is sending a chemical detection unit to Qatar at that nation's request.

The deployment, to leave on Saturday, was a result of "defense agreements and to respond favorably to all requests from Qatar to ensure the protection of its territory and population," the ministry said in a statement.

Still trying to get a piece of that yummy post-war pie? Bugger off.

Though I suppose it's only fitting....my mama always did say that if you helped make a mess, you should help clean it up.

Child Welfare Workers

Ran across an article this morning, courtesy of Fark, that describes the conditions often found by child welfare workers during an investigation of possible child abuse. And I'll warn you, if you have a weak stomach, don't click on the link. I'm not kidding. One of the cops helping with the investigation barfed because of the conditions in this house.

Here is the story. I'm posting it for all the good workers with whom I work to show you what kind of work they do. I am heartly grateful that I don't have to go into these places & spend extended amounts of time documenting what's there. They tell me that they often have to burn their clothes afterwards, because there is nothing on earth that will take out that smell that soaks in while they're there.

But I'm glad they can do it. There's nothing like having photos & videos of these types of conditions to show a jury....truly priceless.

Update Your Links

Our favorite soldier's blog, Lt. Smash, has been moved to a new server due to heavy traffic....update your links to this.

In semi-related news, the Sky News live feed has crashed as of yesterday morning (damnit!). I've been looking for something of similar quality but haven't found anything good yet. The BBC has one, but well, it's the BBC. I just checked it and their correspondents seem to be desperately searching for wounded civilians & other Iraqis who don't welcome the liberation forces. I shut it off after hearing a question about the Children ^TM who might be affected by the campaign.

MSNBC had live video yesterday, but today seems to be limited to headline updates & such.

If anyone knows of a better live feed, please let me know. The grandson will be over later, and I'll need access to something online while he watches cartoons or *shudder* Elmo.

The Oscars

I received, via e-mail, a request to post the following from Adam Mossof, who is blogless at the moment....always happy to oblige a faithful reader.

The Oscars will air this Sunday, and, as reported on MSNBC:

We should let our dollars speak for us--by withholding them from these vile excuses for Americans who abuse the access to the media they have earned as mere actors and film-makers to engage in disgusting anti-American political rhetoric.

I dunno....if they wear the duct tape over their mouths, might be worth watching.

Naaahh, probably not.

I Missed It

My daughter & I picked up the grandson today....he stayed with me while my daughter ran by her work & picked up some things. I was trying to watch the end of "Shock & Awe"...he wanted to read. So instead of watching the rubble bounce, I got to read Barney, aka the large purple Anti-Christ, over & over.

Then we took him to the park playground to run amok. After we'd been there a while, this cute little girl with blonde curly hair came up & started playing on the pretend steering wheel beside him. They were flirting pretty heavy until she tried to take over his steering wheel....he pushed her away, she smacked him. He smacked her back, and the fight was on.

Stupid little girl...you should never try to get between a guy and his wheels.

Another Protest

We had another protest last night up on the town square....a candlelight vigil organized by one of the local churches and the OMNI Center for Peace. Quite a peaceful event, there was an open microphone, and each speaker had 5 minutes in which to voice his or her opinion. Why can't more have this much class?

I mean, I disagree with statements like this:

Toward the end of the vigil 21-year-old Patria Ostrom walked out of the crowd. While not a member of the OMNI Center, Ostrom attended the vigil to voice her disagreement with the government’s choice to enter the war. "I’m here because the entire world and everyone I know stands against the war and what we’re doing. I don’t think is fair," Ostrom said. "The entire world thinks we’re arrogant now and will hate us by the time this is over."

but I respect her right to make such statements and the manner in which it was made.

After all, they all kept their clothes on.

Not Surprising

Al Gore is now on the board of directors for Apple Computers, replacing Larry Ellison. He should fit right in....Apple has at best a 3% share of the US computer market, but their customers are a rabidly faithful few.

Guess inventing the internet finally paid off for Al.

Iraq Admits Missiles

Iraq is now admitting that it fired missiles at Kuwait.

In a statement broadcast by Iraqi television, Iraq's central military command said its units on the Iraq-Kuwait border had pounded "the dens of evil, treachery and tyranny" across the frontier at Ali al-Salem air base, Shuwaikh port close to Kuwait City and Camp Doha, the main U.S. base for its invasion of Iraq....

The salvo, the Iraqi statement said, was an expression of Iraq's "firm determination to teach the criminal invaders, hard lessons and make them taste bitter pain."

Ummm, yeah....if you could hit a bull in the butt those missiles might've been more impressive. Way to blow up the sand, dudes.

Long Day

Court this afternoon took freakin' forever....thanks to a certain pompous ass windbag attorney who kept making speeches intended to piss off the judge instead of questioning the witnesses. The prosecutor & I started making faces at each other across the courtroom everytime the attorney would say something stupid....until I got the giggles & had to stop. Laughing during court is highly frowned on, to say the least.

The drive out & back was nice, even though there's been a heavy mist falling most of the day. Spring has sprung...the sarviceberry bushes are in full bloom covered with white fringed puffballs, and the red blooms of the maples & light green of the elms dotted all the hillsides. Jonquils & forsynthias are blooming like mad too in everyone's yards.

All everyone wanted to talk about was the war...the general consensus was relief that it had finally started and that we were blowing up shit real good.

Now I gotta get caught up on what I missed.

Helen Hussein?

Rodger's got a hilarious photoshop of Helen Thomas...ya gotta go look.

War Coverage

Blogs of War provides a link to live video feed from Sky News. (I love broadband!) I've been listening to it instead of the babbling heads on cable news...better coverage & better filler....one reporter interviewed P.J. O'Rourke in Kuwait City this morning.

There's been several Scud attacks (more of those weapons Saddam didn't have) against our troops & Kuwait....so far it's being reported the Scuds are being taken out by Patriots or they're missing their targets entirely. And no signs of biologicals or chemical warheads, which is good news.

And there's been a warblogging site set up, courtesy of Michele and Alan. If you're interested in posting there, contact Alan at avocare at comcast dot net. Great idea, guys!

As for me, a colleague asked me to fill in for her at court this afternoon, so posting will be spotty....in other words, same as always.

Pink Ladies

I always miss the good stuff here in Fayette-nam. There was a pro-Saddam protest yesterday afternoon of nekkid women at the intersection of College & Dickson (which is also where our main courthouse is located). There were nine women, ages 18-71.

The pink-masked women held a "Women of the World Say No War" banner as they walked into the intersection of College and Dickson at about 5:30 p.m., stopping traffic briefly. As a bongo played in the background, they removed their clothing, bearing only pink body paint to cover their private parts and the words "No War" painted on their backsides.

Wow, a bongo, that's far out man. Here's a photo. I have to admit to some confusion over their body-painted message, "NO NO WAR". Does it mean No to "no war"? Is she referring to a "No-no" war? (I've had those while trying to dress a toddler.) Or is it a double negative that implies a positive? Here's a hint ladies. If you're going to paint slogans on your saggy old ass, at least make sure to use good grammar & correct punctuation.

The pink Lone Ranger masks were a nice touch, though.

Game On

We're bombing Bahgdad. The President will make the formal announcement at 10:15 (Eastern).

Cow's Milk

Susanna's post about her memories of buying fresh milk from a dairy down the road brought back many childhood memories of freshly churned butter and milk still warm from the milk cow that we usually had. But that's not my favorite memory.

My mother had (has) a terrible temper. Her fits of rage were known county-wide. You could usually tell when one was coming, and it was best to get as far away as possible because she would just go beserk.

We had this cantankerous milk cow once, when I still lived at home. She seemed to live just to switch her tail into the milk pail or wait until the pail was almost full and kick the pail over. My mother usually did the milking because no one else could do it well enough to suit her. One morning, she came hobbling back from the barn, barely able to walk, swearing like a sailor....threw the empty milk pail down on the back porch & limped into the house. My dad, being a brave soul, asked her what was wrong. Seems the cow kept trying to get her tail into the milk pail, which was driving my mom crazy. The milk pail was finally almost full.....and the cow kicked it over. That was pretty much the last straw for my mom, who started swinging at the cow. Seeing that that wasn't having much effect, she proceeded to kick the cow in the shin as hard as she could.

Now, in case you don't know, a cow's shin doesn't have much muscle on it. It's pretty much a sharp hide covered bone. My mother broke her toe...quite badly. It was already all swollen and black just in the time it took her to get to the house. Having been on the receiving end of my mother's mad fits on more than one occasion, I thought this was pretty damn funny....a just punishment you might say. I manage to contain my giggles until I could get far away from the house though....just barely.

The cow got sold not too long after that, and we were back to store-bought milk until we could find another one. But after all those years, I still giggle every time I remember the time my ma kicked the cow.

Basra Firefight Reported

There's been a report of a firefight at Basra involving British special forces and our marines who are preparing the site for an amphibious landing. (Link via Fark)

Back in Black

I'm watching Ari's press conference and just noticed Helen Thomas....dressed all in black with a jaunty little French beret on her wizen little troll head.

Cute, Helen, rilly cute.

France's Clarification

France is now backing down from its offer of assistance in the event of bio/chemical warfare....seems they were misunderstood.

But French diplomats in Paris made clear this was not a change in France's refusal to join the war. "It is obvious we wouldn't sit back and not help if there was a chemical attack. But what we are talking about is medical assistance," one said.

How very noblesse obligee of them.

Piss off, cochons.

Zimbabwe E-mail

I've finally gotten my first Zimbabwe e-mail in the new account we set up for the comments to this site. How delicious. Would've been a wee bit more interesting if the sender had looked around a bit before composing his missive. It's those personal touches that mean so much when trying to make a sale, don't you know? For example, I am most definitely not a "Sir".

And I am an attorney, so being offered a mere 10% share is down right insulting. I would never take a contingency case for less than 30% plus costs. And for a high risk proposition like this, you're looking at 40-50% plus a substantial retainer plus costs up front.

I tell ya, children's attorneys get no respect.

Oh My.

This, this, this and this just about made me pee my pants. I don't think there's a man alive that could make me get on that when it opens in May.

But it would be fun if you survived, wouldn't it?

Virus Identified

Hong Kong researchers have identified the virus which is causing the deadly pneumonia outbreak. It belongs to the paramyxoviridae family...which includes the virii that cause measles, mumps, RSV and canine distemper, among other things. Don't get too complacent about the discovery though.

Asked if the discovery meant there was a greater hope for a cure for the highly contagious disease, Professor John Tam at the Prince of Wales Hospital said it affirmed that current treatments given to patients had been the right choice.

Notice how he doesn't exactly answer the question. The current treatments, anti-viral drugs & steriods, more or less try to control the severity symptoms, and doesn't fight the disease itself. Now you medical people out there correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the one thing that measles, mumps, RSV & canine distemper have in common. There's no treatment for the disease itself. It has to run its course. All they can do is try to control the effects as much as possible, and either your body eventually destroys the virus & you survive, or you die.

Here's the symptoms:

The illness begins with a high fever and dry cough that can lead to breathing difficulties and force the use of a respirator.

It apparently starts quickly, gets really bad really fast and is highly contagious. So go breath somewhere else.

Bad News For Daschle

A new CNN poll shows 66% of Americans approve of Bush's ultimatum to Saddam. And 60% believe Bush did all he could to resolve the Iraq issue diplomatically.

What was it Daschle said the other day? Oh yeah, something about how Bush had "failed miserably" at using diplomacy with Iraq & the UN, or something like that.

Sucks to be him, don't it?

About Face

If this is true, it has to be one of the fastest about faces in France's history. (Link via Fark)

France has announced it could assist any US-led military coalition if Iraq uses chemical and biological weapons....French ambassador Jean-David Levitte said: "If Saddam Hussein were to use chemical and biological weapons, this would change the situation completely and immediately for the French government."

You know, the little red hen had all kinds of friends after the work was done & the bread was baked. But if I remember correctly, she told them all to piss off.

UPDATE: Interestingly, this is apparently true...CNN is now reporting that France is saying that all nations are forbidden from using these types of weapons & their use by Saddam would be condemned by every nation. Of course, France is also attaching strings to their assistance.

Levitte also said France would want the United States to go back to the United Nations and participate in a Security Council resolution that would include humanitarian aid and assistance for a post-Saddam Iraq.

Which would enable France to keep their fingers in the pie. France would do well to remember that often those who grasp such strings too tightly risk getting their fingers burned.

Unilateral Action

Looks like we're going ahead with our "unilateral" action, regardless of the world's opinion....with the assistance of the UK and Australia. Oh yeah, and those 20 other countries that are helping in one form or another.

I was unaware that "unilateral" meant "without the permission of France, Germany and/or Russia". Wouldn't that mean that WWII was a "unilateral" action??

Guess I'll have to update my dictionary.

Research Day

I hate common law marriages. While they served an important function back in the day when it could be months or even years before a couple could get before a legitimate functionary to solemnize their union, those days are long gone. There's no longer a reason to recognize common law marriages. And they lead people to commit some of the most ridiculous acts of unmitigated jack-assery I've ever seen. Here's an example:

Man & woman live together in Arkansas, holding themselves out as husband & wife, even though Arkansas does not allow common law marriages & they do not have a marriage license. After a few years, the couple moves to Oklahoma, which does recognize common law marriages, and they continue to mostly act as if they're married. After a few more years, they split....but they don't get a divorce because they've apparently decided that they don't need to. Guy eventually marries someone else (with a license); woman practices serial monogamy with a number of other men. More time passes, guy & 2nd wife get divorce. Woman, who's developed health problems & can't work, decides hey, I never got divorced from guy, I think I'll file for divorce and get half his retirement & some alimony. Guess what? She probably will. The only real issue is the starting and ending point of the marriage, which will determine how the retirement is divided. Generally speaking, a marriage doesn't end until you're divorced. There's a little wiggle room provided by case law, which sorta says that only property that has been earned by the industry of the parties during the marriage is marital property, and thus subject to division during a divorce...but it's a pretty fuzzy rule. Guy is going to get royally screwed, I suspect.

Not that I have much sympathy for him. For some reason, people think that since they didn't have to do anything to get married except move in together, then to get divorced, they can just move out. It. Doesn't. Work. That. Way How the hell could anyone be so stupid as to think that? But I see it all the time. I'm not a big fan of the government protecting people from the consequences of their own foolishness, but I think this should be an exception.

It would make my job so much easier. Divorces are bad enough without this needless complication.

Not Tonight, Dear

We're watching the House of Commons speeches on Fox....they are planning to have a debate & vote on the war tomorrow. They are also talking smack about France.

President Bush is planning to give Saddam a deadline to get out of Dodge, a courtesy that Saddam has already declined.

And the UN is evacuating all their personnel, which should be completed by Tuesday.

Fox news is now reporting that their Pentagon sources have raw intelligence info that the Iraqi troops south of Bahgdad are being equipped with chemical artillery shells...more of those things he didn't have. I really hope that's not true.

There's been much ado about our troops fighting in their protective suits in the desert heat. I think that's been a bit overblown....my son's trained in those, in the sunny Florida summer as well as in the deserts of California. He's said yeah they're hot enough to be uncomfortable at times, but as long as you stay well-hydrated, it's not that big of a deal. Not ideal, true, but not crippling either.

Anyway, looks like no war tonight. I'm going back to my flowerbeds and to blinding my neighbors with the glare from my lily-white legs.

Presidential Address Tonight

Fox news just announced the President will be addressing the nation tonight at 8 pm Eastern time.

It's going to be an interesting day.

UPDATE: Powell will give an address in about 20 minutes.

War Update

The British have just announced they will not seek a vote on their proposed resolution. (Via Fox News) Negroponte just announced our agreement with the Brits...both are blaming France for its threat to veto. The Security Council meeting scheduled for this morning has been cancelled.

UN inspectors are expected to announce this morning they are leaving Iraq within the next 24 hours.

Are we there yet? I think we are.

Cause and Effect

I used to wonder what made child abusers do the things they do. I don't any more, thanks to my on-the-job experiences. A very few are born, most are made. Case in point, David Brian Mitchell. His father is a looney.

Shirl Mitchell, the suspect's father, says there is no justification for the alleged abduction but that his son's actions should be put in perspective.

"Of course, they're continuing to say he's a monster for taking away a minor. But they have to back up a little and realize that ... [Brian's] a saint because he took care of that girl and helped her for all those months," he said.

Excuse me? Reality check here. Just because he didn't kill her, for which we're all grateful, is no justification for letting little David off the hook. "Helped her"? Are you stupid? He didn't help her. He kidnapped her. He abused her. I can understand a parent trying to mitigate the consequences of their child's actions, but this is ridiculous. This man clearly has a tenuous grip on reality. For example, check this out.

Mitchell's father, 83, who described himself as a voyeur and the author of two volumes about his personal theology that include explicit sexual content, also acknowledged showing his son pictures of genitalia at the age of seven or eight. The father said he believes his erotic literature contributed to an after-school episode of indecent exposure when Mitchell was a teenager.

Gee, you think?

A few weeks in juvenile detention, bouts with alcohol and drugs -- including an LSD trip that put him in the hospital -- were other contributing factors, the elder Mitchell said. He added that the family suspected Brian Mitchell was abused in daycare.

Daycare? I submit that he was abused at home, by you, you freak.

Calling himself "too impulsive" as a parent, the father also catalogued early incidents in his own troubled relationship with Mitchell.

Mitchell's father also told CNN about an incident when he drove his son to a park and told him "you are on your own." He said he wanted his son to "appreciate having a home just by being loose in the world for a little while."

"Too impulsive"? How about "too abusive"? How about "so lacking in basic parenting skills that you should've been prosecuted"? And now you want us to feel pity for the monster you created? I do, a little...but we all make choices in life. You made yours, as did your son. But we all have to live with them.

And I refuse to allow your bad choices to endanger any more children. Your son has demonstrated that he is dangerous. He needs to be taken off the streets.

Tick Tick Tick

President Bush has just advised the UN to withdraw its inspectors and has ordered all our diplomatic staff out of Iraq. ABC & NBC is withdrawing its reporters.

In related news, Iraq destroyed 2 more of the illegal missiles and gave a new videotape to inspectors of its mobile biological weapons laboratories....which it has always denied having and now is saying it has them, but they don't violate UN resolutions.

Yep, more evidence the inspections are working. [/sarcasm]

UPDATE: I've been advised that the above paragraph is no longer contained in the Yahoo link cited. I hate it when they do that. For other sources of the same information, see here, here, or here. Or Google for "mobile biological weapons laboratories" which is what I just did. They all basically say the same thing:

Iraq also handed over videotapes of mobile biological weapons laboratories to inspectors. Iraq says the videos show the laboratories do not violate U.N. resolutions.

Reuters is also reporting that US intelligence is reporting "new signs" that Saddam will use biologicals/chemicals against our troops. I think that would be a big mistake on his part.

Burning Herbs

It smells like we're burning mary jane in the yard...I'm expecting a visit from the cops any minute now. Let me explain. My daughter went to an auction last weekend with my sis down in my old home town. My sis bought me this huge box of assorted teas, not realizing that they were these weird herbal teas that no one in their right mind would drink. And when I say huge box, it's a box that previously contained a case of motor oil.

We didn't know what the hell to do with it. Rather than doing the sensible thing & put them in the trash, I had the bright idea to burn them. (Did I tell you I was lazy?) Which Mike is doing. It smells like the world's biggest doobie.

I'm wondering if I should go out there & inhale.

Comments Modification

I've made some modifications to the comments template, as suggested by Matt (thank you very much kind sir), that is supposed to correct the problem some of you have been having with my comments refusing to save your name & address info.

Let me know if it works....or makes it worse or whatever.

A Few Brave Protesters

Real protesters are becoming more active in Iraq. An estimated 20,000 marched in Kirkuk demanding the overthrow of Saddam. A stretch of railway was blown up by Saddam's opposition, derailing a train. A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at a train illegally transporting fuel to Syria. Posters of Saddam are being vandalized.

Brave souls indeed. Last week, Saddam issued an order that Iraqi officials were not to leave the country. And to show he was serious, here's what he did.

To set an example, members of Saddam's security forces arrested a civil servant in the al-Hurriyya suburb of Baghdad on suspicion of preparing to leave the country. The unfortunate official was then tied to a pole in the street and passers-by were ordered to watch as his tongue was cut out and he was left to bleed to death.

This poor man was only suspected of getting ready to leave the country. Imagine what Saddam would do to the Iraqi equivalent of the Dixie Chicks.

Yesterday's Protests

Mtpolitics has a great photo from yesterday's protest in Billings where a whopping 60 people showed up. I had to look closely at the photo...if the gentleman driving by the protest expressing his contrary opinion wasn't wearing a nice cowboy hat, I'd swear it was Mike.

We saw about 6 protesters at a major intersection yesterday while we were out doing our monthly stock-up shopping. Mike exercised his constitutional right of expression by yelling "Bomb Iraq!" at them as we were driving by.

Idjits.

No Coffee, Thanks

I've just discovered I'm not the only person in the world who can't drink coffee. Da Goddess can't either. And it's not that I don't like the taste, I loved coffee. I'd been drinking coffee since I was a kid....though then it was more milk and sugar than coffee. But one morning, several years ago, I started drinking my usual morning cuppa joe, black, one sugar, and I started getting nauseous....cold sweat, chills, dizzy, headache, stomach cramps, followed by a lengthy prayer to the porcelain god. So we threw away all the coffee, thoroughly cleaned the pot, refilled it with freshly purchased coffee....same result. Tried decaffeinated...same result. Tried different brands...same result.

So, I no longer drink coffee. I drink hot tea instead. It's annoying too, because most restaurants have free refills on coffee. For tea, you only get another pot of hot water & no new tea bag unless you pay for it. Which is ridiculous, because tea is cheaper than coffee....and they don't expect their coffee drinkers to re-use the coffee grounds. One of my pet peeves.

But I'm glad to know at long last I'm not the only person in the world who can't drink coffee. It just felt like it.

Fighting Pervs with Technology

Now here's a couple of computer tech companies for whom I would love to work. One, Vericept Corp., makes a TCP/IP monitoring appliance that can search for certain key words, trace them back to the PC that did the original search, then go into that PC's hard drive and search for improper images. Now before you start screaming about civil rights, these are business computers being used by employees at work...and I was surprised to see how frequently they are finding stuff.

One in every 500 PCs audited by his company shows evidence of child pornography, says Mike Reagan, senior VP of Vericept Corp., which makes a TCP/IP-monitoring appliance.

So many perverts, so few bullets indeed. There's also companies like Lucidata LLC, a computer forensics company that works with Vericept to help regular businesses monitor their employees. I especially like their procedure when illegal material is found.

It involves notifying the company, making a copy of the material that's provided to law enforcement, and turning over the system itself if requested. If not, all traces of the material are wiped clean. [Company president] Wunsch has a clause in his contract stipulating that he will contact law enforcement if he comes across images he suspects are child pornography. "It's the only clause in my confidentiality agreement," he says.

Getting a computer information systems degree just became a whole lot more attractive to me.

I Am So Full

We just did our bit for the Eat an Animal for PETA day...went to Doe's Place and shared an order of shrimp and a 2 1/2 lb. porterhouse steak. Man, it were good. We're a perfect couple to share a porterhouse....Mike likes the New York strip portion best, and I like the tenderloin.

Jack Sprat and wife.

WHO Health Warning

The World Health Organization has issued an emergency travel advisory due to a fast spreading flu-like disease of unknown origin. There's been at least 150 reports of the disease in the past week, and at least 3 people have died.

Doctors do not know what causes the illness — even whether it is a bacteria or virus. [CDC Director] Gerberding said doctors are unsure whether antibiotics or antiviral drugs have an effect on the disease since they have not been consistently used in the areas with the most cases.

The potentially fatal illness is believed to spread "person to person" and have an incubation period of two to seven days, Gerberding said.

I first saw mention of this a couple of days ago, and it's spreading like wildfire since it first popped up in southeast Asia.

WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said in Geneva, "Until we can get a grip on it, I don't see how it will slow down. People are not responding to antibiotics or antivirals. It's a highly contagious disease and it's moving around by jet. It's bad."

Pretty damn scary. Anyone else read The Stand?

Busy Friday

Got rather busy this afternoon....errands, eye check-up and what-not. Finally bit the bullet & got new glasses. And yes, they're bi-focals. I wear contacts most of the time....left eye is reading prescription, right eye is distance. (And don't think that didn't take some getting used to. But I really like them now.) But I keep glasses for back-up or for when I've a ton of reading to do.

While I was out, I picked up some new dog toys. Sollie likes to play fetch every night, so I bought him a small rubber ball. To say he lurves it is an understatement. He won't stop playing with it. He is a very happy pug.

But if he rolls it up under the table one more time and whines until I get it out for him, I may have to kill him.

Friday Five

This week's Friday Five:

1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not?

I detest talking on the phone....another way I'm the freak of the family. Most of my family can talk on the phone for hours. I try to keep it as short as possible...unless I'm talking to Mike, who usually calls me as he's leaving work & we talk while he's driving home. (I know, how sweet.) If it weren't necessary for our ADSL access, we wouldn't have a home phone at all.

2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?

An attorney for whom I occasionally do work. I'm trying to force him to use e-mail, but since today he was out-of-town & had no e-mail access, I let him slide.

3. About how many telephones do you have at home?

3, not counting our cells. One in the kitchen, one in my office, and one in our bedroom.

4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened?

Telemarketers, and I hang up on them. Sometimes there'll be a person talking loudly on their cell in public, but we just make fun of them.

5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not?

E-mail. Instant communication and I can attach documents, photos, whatever. I can look at it when I have time, and I'm not interrupted when I'm working on something else. Plus, I will sometimes let the answering machine catch my calls when I'm working, but take frequent breaks to check my e-mail....so you're much more likely to get in touch with me more quickly through e-mail.

Spelling Counts

A new young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old canons and laws of the church by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The head monk says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son." So, he goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery where the original manuscript is held in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years.

Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot. So, the young monk gets worried
and goes downstairs to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the
wall. His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably.

The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father?"

With a choking voice, the old abbot replies..................."The word is celebrate."

Waiting

I hate waiting. That's all I seem to be doing lately. Waiting for the inevitable war to start. Waiting to hear from jobs I've applied for. Waiting for summer school to start so I can complete my descent into total geekdom. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Stress, stress, stress.

One of my methods of dealing with stress is to work in the yard or our flowerbeds. But the grass hasn't grown enough to need mowed, and it's still too wet to work in the flowerbeds. So I'm waiting for everything to dry out...and waiting for the grass to grow.

*sigh* Waiting for grass to grow...now that's just sad.

Beer Queen

Mexico richest woman, owner of 15% of the Grupo Modelo (Corona beer), is worth $1.2 billion. (Link via the Prof)

Hey Steve, she's single! And not bad looking I might add.

Free beer, nice looking rich lady...what more could you want?

Am Not!

Republican - You believe that the free market will
take care of most things, but that the
government should be there with moderate
taxation to provide for national defense and
enforcing morality. Your historical role model
is Ronald Reagan.


Which political sterotype are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

No I'm not....I'm a conservative centrist independent. Really. Honest.

Are We There Yet?

Some of our battleships warships may be soon ordered to move into the Red Sea. Fox news just reported that our B-2's are currently flying out to an undisclosed location.

Are we there yet?

Hardware Issues

My work computer is having hardware issues this morning. The battery back-up system we'd installed about a month or so ago had been working fine until it decided this morning it had lost its USB connection. And while I'm getting an error message that says I can't find this device, I'm also getting another message saying oh, BTW, there's this USB device attached, but don't know what it is.

So I'm trying to beat it into submission get it going before I have to go to court in an hour or so. If you hear a big explosion later, you'll know I took it out in the yard & shot it before I left.

Good Books?

Adam's looking for a few good books. (Stupid Blogger and their stupid non-working perma-links) Go give him a few of your must reads.

Missing Girl Found Alive

Elizabeth Smart, missing since her June 2002 kidnapping, has been found alive in Salt Lake City. Details are sketchy, but she was found during a traffic stop of Brian David Mitchell...reportedly a drifter who had once worked on the home of her parents, and seems to match the description of the man who kidnapped her.

Very good news indeed.

Clueless Idiots

I don't expect much from Duke University, but this is ridiculous. Professors have organized an "Axis of Evil" film festival, featuring films from Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

"What we are trying to do is educate the students," said Miriam Cooke, the festival’s other organizer, "to give them an opportunity to see the kind of work, cultural work, that people are doing in the countries that our government has labeled evil"....Erin Harper, a junior at Duke, opposes war with Iraq and said the films help humanize the people who live in these nations.

"So often we demonize the countries that they’re showing the films from," she said. "But when you see the films they’re very real people, very normal representations of culture that aren’t all demonic."

Riiiight. Let's look at an example.

One of the films in the festival, Pulgasari, is a Godzilla -like monster film produced by North Korean dictator Kim Jung Il in 1985, using an actress and a director he kidnapped from South Korea and forced to make the movie.

Well that's certainly normal, isn't it? This is a new low, even for Duke.

Remind me again why I've encouraged my kids to go to college?

MOAB Test

MSNBC's got the video.

Holy shit.

Wings for Dinner

We're supposed to meet a friend of Mike's tonight at Hooter's for dinner. He's a programmer, fellow gun nut and fun to be around so I'm looking forward to it....we usually sit around & make fun of the waitresses and their badly-fitting water bras. I'd never noticed until Mike pointed it out, but for some reason many of the women around here seem to think wearing a bra that's at least 2 sizes too small is attractive. Which it's not.

Of course, there's a lot of really fat women around here who think that wearing black spandex is slimming....which it's REALLY not. And then there's the refugees from the land of bad eye make-up....as well as the really bad hair.

Not that I'm well-dressed most of the time...I prefer to be comfortable. The difference is that, unlike them, I know that I'm dressed badly, I just don't care. And I can clean up right real good when I want to.

Quiet Morning

I've been catching up on the backlog of work that accumulated while I was recovering....mostly mind-numbing research into what constitutes probable cause for a vehicle search during a traffic stop. Incredibly boring stuff. I was entertained though, since the city decided for some unknown reason, to cut a gap in the curb on the street across from our driveway, bust up the pavement with a jackhammer, dig a big hole with a backhoe, and then fill it all back in with a dump truck load of gravel. Nothing like a little background noise when you're trying to concentrate.

I was originally supposed to go to Jay this afternoon for some meetings, but everything got taken care of by phone this morning so I don't have to go now. So now I'm trying to decided whether to be good & work the rest of the day, or be naughty & take the rest of the day off since I wasn't planning on being here this afternoon anyway.

Decisions, decisions.

Good News for Travelers

Tomorrow, 10 McDonald's in Manhattan will begin offering 1 hr. of free wireless access with a purchase of a combo. Wireless access will also be available by this summer at DFW. And it will also be available soon in many Hilton, Mariott, Sheraton, Westin and W hotels.

That's been one of our biggest frustrations when traveling...finding internet access. We always take a laptop for downloading our digital camera nightly and for internet access to keep in touch with family....but have had major problems finding places with access. Either they don't have it at all (Florida, Nevada), it's available & it sucks (D.C.), or it's prohibitively expensive (mid-town Manhattan). We've only found one place, Holiday Inn in Manhattan's financial district, that was an exception. High-speed access for only $15 per day....it was sweet and well worth the small charge.

I'm glad to see someone's finally getting a clue.

North Korea Misfire

North Korea's fired another land-to-sea missile. You know, it's hard to be taken as a serious threat when their previous missile exploded in mid-air because it was defective.

Not too impressive.

Stupid City Government

I'm sitting here this morning observing the combined stupidity of our city government & Federal A.D.A. regulations in action. It was recently decreed that our city sidewalks must be brought into compliance and made handicap-accessible. Normally, this is a good thing....however, in this instance it seems to me to be lacking common sense. Here's why.

We live at the insection of Street A and Street B. Now, Street A is a major throughfare that is one of the main eastern access points for downtown Fayetteville. There is a sidewalk that runs along Street A, but ends at the corner of our property (at the intersection), and you must cross at the crosswalk to the other side of Street A to get back on the sidewalk, which continues on the other side of the street. However, the crosswalk is not placed at the end of the sidewalk, but rather a few feet back...and because of the slope of the hillside, it is difficult for cars to see anyone using the crosswalk. (Not that they will stop for you anyway, crossing the street there is much like playing Frogger...at say about the 5th level.) Street B does not have sidewalks...at all. And because it runs down the side of Mt. Sequoyah, is rather steep.

Now, guess where it appears they're putting the handicap-accessible ramp? Yeah, at the end of the sidewalk on our side of Street A....not at the crosswalk. So to get to the crosswalk, one would have to go out into the intersection of Streets A & B, and back up Street A...while out in traffic, because there's no shoulder there on either street.

I love seeing my tax dollars put to good use.

New & Improved

I've added an e-mail link over on the right, since I'd received a complaint from someone that I didn't have one.

I live to serve.

A Good Frenchman?

Jean Paul Gaultier gave the PETA protesters their just deserts yesterday. When demonstrators jumped on the runway waving their little "Fur Kills" signs, guards wrapped them in fur coats & took them off-stage. (Link via Fark)

Perhaps there is at least one good Frenchman.

Ain't Forgettin'

Earlier today, I caught the end of an Fox interview by Sean Hannity with an Iraqi gentleman...regretfully I didn't catch his name, but he appeared to be a leader of the Iraqi opposition government. Hannity asked him if France used its UN veto against the war, would they then be excluded from post-war Iraq.

The gentleman replied that the Iraqis would not forget the countries that helped to liberate them....and would also not forget the countries that had helped support their dictator.

Axis of Weasels beware....some people have very long memories.

Big Gun

Kim wants someone to design a revolver for this.

Basically, it consists of a 2,500gr. bullet, driven by 250 grains of Alliance Red Dot powder, leading to a muzzle velocity of 2,780 fps and a terminal energy of "who cares?" ft-lbs.

You'll put your eye out...on second thought, that would rip your arm off.

Returns & Additions

Yay, Papaw's back! I have really missed his stories & photos of the RWGK.

And I've also added links to Andrea and Susanna....I've been a regular reader of both for ages, but somehow never moved them from my "Favorites" to my blogroll.

Go read, if you haven't already.

Mike Disfarmer

The UK Telegraph has an interesting article about a London exhibition of the work of Arkansas photographer Mike Disfarmer. If you're not familar with the name, Mr. Disfarmer was a portrait photographer in Heber Springs, Arkansas during the Depression era...and did truly remarkable work.

He never posed his subjects, which is why I love his work...you can tell so much about these people just by studying their body language. Here's one of my favorites of his work, a portrait of Ed and Mamie Barger....look at how their arms are around each other. Equal partners in life's struggle. And the portrait of the two boys in the article...don't you just know the one on the right is a real pistol? I mean, look at the way he wears his hat.

Mr. Disfarmer was a wee bit eccentric, ok, more like a half bubble off plumb...for example, he believed in his later life that he'd been sucked up in a tornado & deposited with another family who raised him, hence he changed his name from Meyer to Disfarmer...his "real" name. And he was reputed to be somewhat cranky & non-communicative with his subjects.

But his work is truly a thing of beauty.

Blogger Fisk

Da Goddess fisks Acidman...who's apparently written an ad for a wife or servant or flunky or something.

Go enjoy.

Kevin's Survivor

I watched about the last 15 minutes of Survivor this week...the President's speech had delayed network programming, I was waiting for CSI to start & was too lazy to change the channel. I've also been reading Kevin Parrott's take on each episode & was curious to see how it compared to the real thing.

His is tons better. He's got a new installment. Go read it.

Saddam Wants Sanctions Lifted

Saddam is demanding UN sanctions be lifted because Blix's report proves he's disarmed.

"The embargo against Iraq should be lifted totally and comprehensively after America's motives were revealed to the world and after Iraq abided by Security Council resolutions," the statement said.

It also demanded that the Security Council denounce the United States and Britain as "liars," strip Israel of its alleged weapons of mass destruction and force it to pull out of "Palestine and occupied Arab land."

Wonder how long it'll take for the Axis of Weasels to adopt that stance?

Meth Head

Here's what using meth will do to you. (Link via Bigwig) And don't let the dates of the photos fool you...it doesn't take nearly that long....maybe 6 months to 1 year at the most.

Rough guess, about 1/2 to 2/3 of my caseload is caused by drug use, usually meth....think about that the next time someone starts advocating drug legalization. It's not a victimless crime. I see women (and men) like this all the time. Of course, usually the first time I see them, they're wearing jailhouse orange and are twitching & tweaking all over. It ain't pretty.

And once they're hooked, which with meth often happens the first time they try it, the only thing that matters in their life is getting their next fix.

Some nasty stuff, I tell you.

Celebrity Nice Guy

Da Goddess has posted an interesting story about a recent encounter between Dennis Franz and some Marines.

I knew there was a reason I like him.

Stop It

Fox news keeps showing clips of "exclusive video" of Saddam's testing of botulism or something on these poor little beagles to promote one of their weekend shows. It's horrific and I really wish they would just stop it.

My doggies are outside enjoying the warm day...I'm going to go give them some treats.

Rachel's Back!

YaY!

Today's UN Report

I'm watching the speeches following Blix's report to the UN...nothing particularly new content wise. The Russian ambassador just said something, though, that caught my attention, and seems to be a general theme among the countries opposed to war. He said basically we (the UN) should give Saddam a list of things that must be destroyed, or proof of their previous destruction.

The problem with this is, as any attorney can tell you, such a list can never be definitive. He even acknowledged this, saying the list could be added to from time to time, as necessary. What he is in fact proposing is a never-ending list, which would mean the inspections would never end, given Saddam's lack of cooperation.

The French ambassador is on now, saying that the war would cause new attacks from the terrorists...typically, France is surrendering before the war even starts.

Capture Update

Fox news is reporting that, from its Pakistani sources, we ambushed a convoy...7 probable al-Quada members were killed. It has not been determined whether the 2 people captured are in fact Osama's sons, but the Fox correspondent speculates that it is unlikely that the 7 members would've fought to the death defending the convoy unless there were at least significantly high ranking al-Quada members in the convoy.

US officials continue to deny these reports and our participation in any operations in the area.

Osama's Sons Captured?

Fox news is reporting that AP has quoted a Pakistani official's claim that some of Osama's sons have been arrested in southern Afghanistan.

Fox has been unable to definitely confirm this, but are continuing to check sources.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Here's the link to the AP story....two sons arrested, 7 other al quada members killed in the arrest, a joint operation between the Pakistanis and U.S. forces.

Helen Silenced

I wasn't mistaken...Helen Thomas did not get to ask a question at last night's Presidential press conference. Not that I blame the President.

Helen reminds me of my senile old granny...you never know what craziness is going to come out of her mouth when she gets in public.

Our "Friend" France

New intelligence reveals that an unidentified French company continues to smuggle spare jet & helicopter parts into Iraq, as recently as January. However, President Bush last night said that France was still our "friend". I must respectfully disagree.

France is no more our friend than the guy with whom you go out to a bar...and end up having to beat the crap out of because he won't stop trying to pick up your girlfriend.

Which is to say no friend at all.

Student Protests

Students at the University of Arkansas did the walk-out thing yesterday. There was a pro-Saddam rally at the student union, with about 350 protestors. Here's a photo of the rally...doesn't look like even close to 350 to me. And here's a photo of one of the protesters.

There was at least one student there who had some sense, who was walking through the crowd yelling "Let's bomb Iraq".

"We have a responsibility to protect the people of Iraq from a dictator that kills them," Taylor said. "And, (Iraqi president) Saddam (Hussein) supports terrorists, so we're also doing this to defend against a future threat."

This wasn't too popular with the crowd, apparently...caused a few heated arguments. Guess he was harshing their mellow.

Implants No Cure for Psychos

A new study says women who get breast implants solely for cosmetic reasons are more likely to commit suicide.

"Our findings suggest there might be a psychological problem in some women," Veronica Koot, an epidemiologist at the center, said in an interview.

You think? You mean a woman who would have major surgery to have gel-filled balloons pushed up into her boobs through an incision in her abdomen because she wants to "look better" might have a screw loose?

"If women have a psychological problem and they are given breast implants they will still have that problem," said Koot, who reported the finding in the British Medical Journal.

Wow, now there's a revelation....bigger breasts won't correct an underlying psychological problem, go figure.

I'm sure all you guys are sorely disappointed.

Dems Consider Suicide

Susanna reports that there's a group of Dems who want to introduce articles of impeachment against President Bush & maybe some of his Cabinet to demonstrate their opposition to the Iraq war.

More like a demonstration of their lack of good sense.

Blawgger Interview

Jim Calloway, Oklahoma Bar Director, has posted an interview with a couple of law bloggers...one of which is an acquaintance of mine, Tom Mighell of Inter-Alia.

I can't say enough good things about Jim. Oklahoma has the best web-based research resources around, largely due, I suspect, to Jim's efforts. Here's just some of what I have access to, free of charge:

--Oklahoma Supreme Court: latest appellate opinions for Oklahoma & the 10th Circuit; tracking of appeals that have been filed; current & proposed statutes that are annotated with every case citing that particular statute; attorney general opinions.

--Oklahoma District Court Records: 28 counties' district court records and growing. There's a similar link on the Oklahoma Supreme Court site that I've used with great success...type in a name & find out all kinds of interesting stuff about people.

Those are both public sites, accessible by anyone. As a member of the Oklahoma Bar, I also have access to:

--Oklahoma Bar Association: Pay dues; update my bar registration information; file our required annual reports; find & register for continuing legal education seminars, some of which are on-line video seminars. There's tons of public info there too, like how to find a lawyer, how to file a complaint against a lawyer or judge, requirements to become a licensed attorney.

--OBA-Net: Accessible by bar members only. Here I can post an inquiry on the message board, and get answers from attorneys all over the state; read professional articles; have a separate e-mail account for business use; set up a personal website.

This is the reason I'm able to live in Arkansas & practice in Oklahoma. Even though it's only a short drive to the law library here, even they don't have these extensive resources. I wish more states would follow Oklahoma's example.

I mean, do you know how much fun it is to have a witness on the stand who's trying to blow happy sunshine smoke about their past criminal record and then you pull out stacks of print-outs of their trials from other counties for your cross-examination...that they thought that they could hide because we aren't allowed access to the national or state criminal records listings?

It's pretty damn sweet, I can tell you.

T-Shirt Arrests

I suspected something was being left out of the story about the 2 guys who were arrested for wearing anti-war t-shirts in a New York mall...I mean, people just don't get arrested for wearing t-shirts with anti-war slogans these days.

They were asked to leave because mall security had received complaints about them stopping & harassing customers, and for having a loud verbal dispute with a group of customers in one of the stores. You can read the complaint & its supporting affidavits here. (Link via Steve den Best)

Yeah, there's no liberal media bias here, right?

On-line Registry Upheld

Mark another one up for the good guys...the US Supremes have just upheld states online posting of their sex offender registries, including photos. In a related ruling, the court denied a claim by offenders to allow them to "prove" they were no longer dangerous & so shouldn't have their photos published.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for six justices, said that the law is not punitive, and therefore it does not punish the inmates after the fact.

"Our system does not treat dissemination of truthful information in furtherance of a legitimate governmental objection as punishment," he wrote. "The purpose and the principal effect of notification are to inform the public for its own safety, not to humiliate the offender."

I agree, that's just an added benefit. Also makes it more difficult for offenders to dodge their registration requirements and find new victims that are unaware of what they are.

This is great news, as my state currently has legislation (HB1011) awaiting the Gov's signature to establish just such an online registry for the offenders who are either a high risk of re-offense or classified as a "sexually violent predator." It also prohibits these offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or daycare.

Should be signed shortly now after this ruling. I'll keep y'all posted.

Vested Interests

Maybe it is all about the oil...just not for us. I found some interesting figures about the countries that oppose the war against Saddam. First, there's France:

"France controls over 22.5 percent of Iraq's imports," according to the "CIA World Factbook." Some 60 French companies do $1.5 billion in trade with Iraq under the U.N. oil-for-food program. France's largest oil company, Total Fina Elf, has negotiated deals to develop and explore the Majnoon and Nahr Umar oil fields, which are estimated to hold 25 percent of Iraq's reserves. From 1981-2001, France sold Iraq 13 percent of its arms imports.

Next, Russia:

Russia, according to the same source, controls 5.8 percent of Iraq's total imports. From 1981-2001, however, Russia supplied 50 percent of Iraq's arms imports. Under the oil-for-food program, Russian trade with Iraq amounts to an estimated $500 million to $1 billion. A Soviet-era debt to Iraq of about $7 billion to $8 billion, generated by arms sales during the Iran-Iraq war, is still outstanding. And Russian oil and gas companies have contracts to service and develop sites throughout Iraq, with a $40 billion economic agreement between Iraq and Russia reportedly having been signed in 2002 to allow oil exploration in western Iraq.

Finally, China:

China, meanwhile, also controls 5.8 percent of Iraq's annual imports. Under the food-for-oil program, China's Aero-Technology Import-Export Co. (CATIC) has contracted to sell "metereological satellite" and "surface observation" equipment to Iraq. CATIC has also received U.N. approval to sell optic cables to Iraq, which can be used for secure data and communications links for military installations. From 1981-2001, China was second only to Russia in sales of arms to Iraq.

And China has the additional incentive of wanting to avoid a precedent that would affect how North Korea is likely to be dealt with in the very near future.

This is just the trade of which we're aware, but it amounts to approximately 34% of Iraq's imports....and there were no figures given for Germany. Now, the numbers for the U.S.:

Now the United States, too, traded with Iraq in the 1980s. However, U.S. sales to Iraq stopped cold after the Gulf War, and resumed only on a greatly limited scale in 1997, when the U.N. oil-for-food program kicked in. Last year, Iraqi imports from the United States totaled just $31 million, mostly in technology for oil production. On the export side, Iraq sold the United States some $3.5 billion in oil.

Interesting numbers to have around the next time you talk to a pro-Saddam looney.

Bride-zilla

I've been out spending the day with my daughter, aka Bride-zilla...she dragged me to look at a bridal gown which, thank goodness she bought. It fit her perfectly, looked great & was within her price range...now maybe she'll obsess about something else.

Now you may think I'm being an old grouch, which I am, I hate weddings....but she's not getting married until December, it's practically all she talks about and it's only barely March. I'll never make it.

She did ask me to be her matron of honor, which was very sweet....I declined, pointing out that if she wanted her favorite nephew (the grandson) to be there, which she does, I would be needed to corral him in the audience. I'm trying to talk her into getting him a cutaway tux & having him walk me to my seat...I think that would be just too cute.

Now if I can just get him to scream "NO NO! MY JESSY!" on cue, we'll be set.

Quick Work

If this is true, that didn't take long.

Pakistan's interior minister, Faisal Saleh Hayyat, said [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed] is co-operating with interrogators and that information he has provided is being acted upon.

He predicted there would be "significant developments" but gave no details.

Good news indeed if true.

Doh!

I'm so goofy sometimes. I've left the old site up until folks get their links changed, but I've been checking the referral logs from time to time....once I get to the point the only hits are from Google & such, I'm deleting it permanently.

I just looked at them & realized I hadn't changed the link to me on Mike's site. Doh!

Another instance of do as I say, not as I do....cuz I'm sure you can do better.

Slight Error

The advent of spring and its resulting kitty lovefests in our yard has made me remember an incident from several years ago with a cat my kids & I had. I'd finally given in to my daughter's nagging & allowed her to get a little orange tabby kitten. After much examination & discussion, we'd decided it was a male, and had named it Kotter Kitty due his habit of meowing a greeting every time he entered a room...which prompted my son one day to quip "Welcome back, Kotter" and the name just kinda stuck. Kotter was a pretty aggressive kitty...his favorite game was to sneak up on our dogs & pounce with claws bared so the dogs would chase him. The rougher you played with him, the better he liked it. His nickname was Evil Kitty because his general attitude was that he was Billy Badass.

Spring rolled around & Kotter Kitty fell madly in love...with my son. He would follow my son around, trying to entice him with loud yowls & gyrations. My son was absolutely mortified. Not because we had what seemed to be a hardcore gay cat, but because the cat was convinced that his attraction to my son should be reciprocated. And because he couldn't go anywhere in the house without the cat following & trying to demonstrate loudly how much he lurved my son. It was hilarious.

I called the vet eventually & arranged to have our kitty neutered...dropped him off one morning, then called back later in the day to see when I could pick him up. Between giggles, the receptionist managed to tell me that I couldn't pick him up until the next day...there had been a slight error. Yep, as you've probably already guessed, Kotter Kitty was in fact a female. In my defense, it had been years since we'd had a cat, and it's not like I was ever an expert in kitty anatomy. And the vet hadn't noticed until he started to do the surgery, even though I'd had the cat there several times getting vaccinations & such. In fact, he said her...uh...parts weren't exactly normal for a female, and he could see why we'd been confused....after he could finally stop laughing at me.

I didn't mind, I thought it was funny too.

More Nude Protesters

There were more nude protests over the weekend...*yawn*...quite silly actually.

"Reasons for the nakedness: one is that it is total vulnerability," said Australian singer and peace activist Grace Knight , who organized the Sydney protest.

"It's absolute complete vulnerability, and in that vulnerability there's also an awful lot of power, there's a mighty well of power there."

Let's be honest here, shall we? The primary reason is that it gets tons of publicity. But she's absolutely correct, there is power in women getting nekkid....just ask any stripper.

But you can't just lie there, womyn....gotta shake that money maker you know. Like Tim Blair has suggested, get a little appropriate music, etc....now _that_ would be a popular protest.

Because frankly, the only difference I see is that a two-bit pole-dancing hustler is at least honest about what she is doing.

Missing Blogger Alert

If anyone knows the whereabouts of or has heard from fellow blogger Nellie Browning, aka athenix.org, please contact mtpolitics.

No trace of her has been seen since February 8th...and as she had just been hired for a new job, everyone is becoming quite concerned.

Shields Get a Clue

9 of the 11 British human shields are homeward bound after being told to "deploy" to strategic sites or hit the road. Seems they only wanted to "protect" civilian sites....which as everyone else knows, are unlikely to be our bombing targets.

Many shields had earlier asked to be stationed at sites such as schools, hospitals or orphanages, but Iraqi officials said there was little point in guarding low-risk targets in any aerial assault.

When the going got tough, they got going....home. I don't blame them for getting scared. There is no shame in being justifiably afraid. Only a fool has no fear. But at least have the courage to stand up for what you believe in...otherwise, you're nothing more than a publicity seeking "war tourist".

Another addition to the White Feather club.

Celebrity Polls

A couple of new polls just released show that most Americans don't care what celebrities' opinions are about the war.

A Fox News poll released Friday found that 24 percent of Americans are interested in hearing what actors and musicians have to say about national affairs.

A new CNN/Gallup poll of 1,003 adults, meanwhile, found that 87 percent did not have their opinions swayed by outspoken celebrities.

In other words, shut up and dance, monkeys. Personally, I don't mind that they use their status to make their views known. They are certainly entitled to express their opinions, just like everyone else. But, just like everyone else, their opinions are subject to examination, criticism, and ridicule....which doesn't mean they are being repressed. And, just because an actor plays the role of a President does not entitle him to actually make foreign policy any more than playing the role of a doctor makes him able to perform surgery.

"I'm not the President, but I play one on TV." That's nice, Martin, but do you have anything substantive to back up your position? No? I didn't think so.

Spring Is Near

Nothing says spring quite like the vocalistic stylings of cats in heat, does it?

Kosher Hogs

There will be a new group at Bike Week in Daytona--a Jewish biker group called the Star of Davidson club. T-shirt motto: "My hog is kosher". Members are primarily Jewish, though there's also Christians & a Muslim. And like most Harley riders today, they aren't exactly Hells Angels.

Most Star of Davidson members own their own businesses and have the time and wherewithal to indulge their hobby. "I'm a nice Jewish boy who likes motorcycles, shoots guns from time to time, and kills things for a living," said Seth Tokson, 43, of Armonk, owner of Absolute Pest Management Inc.

They aren't the only Jewish bikers, of course. There's also the Armonk Biker Boyz, the Chai Riders, the Hillel's Angels, and the Yowies (Yiddim on Wheels). But my absolute favorite is a club of Jewish lawyers from in Ulster County, N.Y. called the Goniffs....Yiddish for thieves.

I love it.