The Nefarious Company's Many Tentacles

Mrs. Uneven and I were discussing the merits of the various Prison Break seasons the other day when I was brought up short by her comment that she had really enjoyed the show up until they were going after "The Company." She went on to complain that The Company had been showing up on more and more shows and that she found the whole thing boring. How many people do they have working for them that they're on a bunch of different shows.

She was jesting, but the concept of the "The Company" being behind several nefarious plots/operations has been an omnipresent and mutating meme in the collective unconscious for decades. Until that conversation it had never occurred to me that The Company in Burn Notice could be the same as the one in Prison Break. Does Carla work for the General too, and is he only one part of MANAGEMENT? What other shows and characters does the Company manipulate and harass? Are they the shadowy group leading and misleading Fox Mulder too? How deep is their reach?

Is this the way the Illuminati reveal themselves in the Information Age? They take control of all mass media and then produce entertainment which blatantly depicts hidden power manipulating events to its own ends? Isn't that what the conspiracy memes tell us? What better way than for the hidden group to call itself by one name repeated over and over in many different fictional tales. The fact they keep referring to themselves as "The Companay" simply produces the same ironic enjoyment of James Garner's dog named Dog and horse named Horse. BTW The Company as shadow government meme originally started out at the CIA before moving to FEMA. Presumably this movement of the meme's signifier was due to exposure of the CIA's utter incompetence during Congressional hearings in the 1970s. This of course begs the question of where The Company moves to now.

No Flu Vaccines for Creationists pt. 2

A few years ago . . . Of Cabbages and Kings wrote the following when we were all afraid of bird flue . . .

"No one wants bird flu to turn into a pandemic but if it does, I kind of hope it strikes first at the creationism and "intelligent design" folks not lethally mind you, just enough to put them in bed for a few days so when their heads clear they might wonder. You see, the pandemic, whether it comes or not, is living proof of evolution. In fact, influenza viruses are superb examples of how evolution works in quick time."

As I wrote at the time:

I have to agree with this. No vaccines or anitbiotics of any kind should be given to folks who don't believe in evolution. If evolution were false, there would be no need for new antibiotics to replace penicillin or amoxicillin since these organism would not evolve resistances to anitbiotics through the mutation and survival of the fittest processes. For the same reasons, flu shots wouldn't have to be updated every year if evolution were false and therefore one shot at anytime should be sufficient.

Let's see these people put their health where their beliefs are.

Recent work by the CDC further validates the evolutionary process, by tracing the genetic history of the new flu strain. I still believe the other statements above even though there is no vaccine for the recent flu outbreak at this time(which really isn't swine flu despite having that time), and there may not be one developed in time for the Northern Hemisphere flu season. If you don't believe in evolution, you shouldn't be allowed a shot. It's a great way to ration them out and also weeds the religious whack job christianists out of the populations.

(Poor spellers and people who blog drunk should not be prevented from obtaining future vaccines though.)

So Obama Got One Right - Let's Hope it's the first of Many

Some have pointed out that comments I made about the Obama Hostage Crisis make me look like an ass now. I'll avoid the whole ad hominem attack issue and just say this:

The SEALS did an excellent job, and Obama outperformed Carter in this situation.

However, Obama didn't authorize the attack until after I posted my blog entry. Not that I had anything to do with it, but he did take too long to make the decision. It should've been a no-brainer from the start. It shouldn't have taken that long to get the SEAL team into position (they're all over the world, with a plethora of special forces right there in the region - Afghanistan and Iraq - who could've been there within hours if he'd had the balls to make the call immediately, instead of hemming and hawing like a good liberal.

Hopefully this has given him the cojones to take on the Congressional Democrat Out of Iraq Caucus and Progressive Caucus on military matters. I want him to succeed and be a good leader, but I'm still afraid he's like past Democrat Presidents who have been afraid to make, or made ill-advised, military decisions.

Obama's Hostage Crisis (Carter in a dress)

At least Carter attempted to rescue the American hostages.  It's just that his complete incompetence led to its failure).  Obama hasn't even bothered to try, making him Jimmy Carter in a dress.  The pirate threat has been a well known, growing threat for months now, yet Obama is the first President since THOMAS JEFFERSON to let pirates take Americans hostage.  And Jefferson went to war over it - hence the "Shores of Tripoli" in the Marines Hymn. Even Jimmy Carter, a good Navy man, wouldn't tolerate piracy threatening U.S citizens or business interests.

If George W. Bush were still President ,or Hillary Clinton were elected President instead, a SEAL team already would've rescued the Americans and killed all the pirates. And the pirates should be killed. I'd like to see the part of the Geneva Conventions that allows piracy.

The lack of action to date makes it obvious Obama doesn't know what to do about this. He doesn't want lose World Opinion by authorizing a military action so soon after succeeding George W. Bush in office. And if he does, he doesn't want to alienate World Opinion by killing the pirates.

So he'd have to imprison them somewhere for their unnecessary trial.Piracy isn't like other crimes. When you beat/capture the bad guys, you know they're guilty. There's no need for a trial to determine that. All that's left is to determine their punishment/fate.

Traditionally, pirates have been executed. But Obama doesn't have the balls to do it. So he'll have to find something to do with them. There's not really anyone to turn them over too, so he'll have to stick them in a military prison. But if you bring them to the states, the obviously guilty pirates get a trial which uses U.S. taxpayer resources.  He really should just execute the pirates.

Then again, some pan-European Court (the International Criminal Court) may decide his allowing their execution is some kind of war crime and try to indict him. Life is so much harder when you care if the Europeans to like you more than you care about doing the right thing by your own citizens . . .

Oh, and I guess he'd alienate he hippie-peacenik supporters too. That mike make his approval ratings plunge. Can't risk losing a little political capital to rescue American hostages, can he? Not if he wants to push his radical leftist agenda. But then, the longer range view should be that NOT acting will diminish his political capital and ability to lead even more in the long run.

Shamrock Festival Tomorrow!

HiBall Events
Social Media Release
03.05.2009

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ShamrockFest '09 Happening All Day March 14 at RFK Festival Grounds
50+ Musical Acts to Perform, including Flogging Molly, Junior Sanchez, Carbon Leaf, Aggrolites, Burnt Sienna, Scythian, Mr. Greengenes, Joel and Benji Madden

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ShamrockFest 09 March 14 RFK Grounds 50+ Musical Acts Flogging Molly Junior Sanchez Burnt Sienna http://xrl.in/1onl
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Summary
ShamrockFest '09 will take place March 14 from 1pm until 9pm at RFK Festival Grounds. More than 50 musical acts will perform, including Irish rockers Flogging Molly and Scythian, Aggrolites, regional favorites Burnt Sienna, Mr. Greengenes, and Flip Like Wilson, local standouts Practically Einstein and Scott's New Band and DJ's Junior Sanchez and Joel and Benji Madden. With 10 stages, an "authentic" Irish village, rides and amusements, food, crafts, NCAA hoops viewing areas and lots of Bud Light, this event offers something for everyone. Advance VIP and General Admission tickets on sale now-- http://ShamrockFest.com

Media and Bloggers seeking credentials or interviews contact sallyingforth@gmail.com or Twitter DM "AlbrightDC"
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News Facts

* Tickets: General Admission currently $19.99; VIP currently $79.99. Prices will increase at any time and without notice.
* Detailed information and advance tickets can be purchased through the event web site: http://www.shamrockfest.com
* Portion of proceeds to benefit Stop Child Abuse Now.
* Rain or Shine. All Ages. Must be 21 to Drink.

Abstract Show full release

Full Lineup: Flogging Molly, Carbon Leaf, Aggrolites, Burnt Sienna, Mr. Greengenes, Scythian, Dr. Fu, Scott's New Band, Flip Like Wilson, Sick Feed, Practically Einstein, Ceann, Icewagon FLU, Lost in Paris, Overdrive Superthruster, Junkfood, The Godshites, O'Neil James, Flatfoot, Donegal Express, SMZB. Pubcrawlers, Maple School of Dance, Status Green, Dub Trio, Passafire, Minus One, Rome in a Day, Charm City Saints, Girls Girls Girls, Culkin School, Justin Trawick Group, Flying Cows of Ventry, McGrath Academy, DCFD Pipes and Drums

o VIP Ticket Price: Currently $79.99, $129+ at door. + You must be at least 21 to enter VIP areas and receive VIP benefits. + Tickets only available through ClicknPrint, via the methods listed below
+ There is a very limited supply of VIP Tickets + VIP Ticket includes access to all Main Event party areas, as well as access to multiple VIP areas featuring: # All your beer is included in the VIP ticket price featuring: Bud Light, Budweiser American Ale & Bass # Premium viewing areas of all major performance stages # Private VIP band stage with special performances by major acts # Hot 99.5 Club VIP tent featuring famous international, as...

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Full Release Show abstract

Full Lineup: Flogging Molly, Carbon Leaf, Aggrolites, Burnt Sienna, Mr. Greengenes, Scythian, Dr. Fu, Scott's New Band, Flip Like Wilson, Sick Feed, Practically Einstein, Ceann, Icewagon FLU, Lost in Paris, Overdrive Superthruster, Junkfood, The Godshites, O'Neil James, Flatfoot, Donegal Express, SMZB. Pubcrawlers, Maple School of Dance, Status Green, Dub Trio, Passafire, Minus One, Rome in a Day, Charm City Saints, Girls Girls Girls, Culkin School, Justin Trawick Group, Flying Cows of Ventry, McGrath Academy, DCFD Pipes and Drums

o VIP Ticket Price: Currently $79.99, $129+ at door. + You must be at least 21 to enter VIP areas and receive VIP benefits. + Tickets only available through ClicknPrint, via the methods listed below
+ There is a very limited supply of VIP Tickets + VIP Ticket includes access to all Main Event party areas, as well as access to multiple VIP areas featuring: # All your beer is included in the VIP ticket price featuring: Bud Light, Budweiser American Ale & Bass # Premium viewing areas of all major performance stages # Private VIP band stage with special performances by major acts # Hot 99.5 Club VIP tent featuring famous international, as well as local DJs
# Exclusive NCAA hoops viewing areas # NEW: VIP "Sideshow" Tent - Gotta see it to believe it. Too wild for words! # New: VIP food vendor area # A complimentary, limited-edition ShamrockFest '08 mug # Separate VIP entrance # Additional bathrooms # VIP seating areas

o Main Event Ticket Price:Currently: currently $19.99, $39+ at door.
+ Access to ELEVEN Main Event party areas + Entertainment by over THIRTY-THREE spectacular bands and DJs + EIGHT kilt-raising performance stages + Ginormous college basketball viewing area + Acres of amusements, rides and games + The Main Event areas feature Bud Light Beer

Washington DC-- Get ready for the most exciting festival on the East Coast. Munich has Oktoberfest, Tennessee has Bonaroo, New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Brazil has Carnival…and now ShamrockFest, which rocks the Nation’s Capital, has joined the party elite. After eight years of extraordinary growth, the 9th annual ShamrockFest has now graduated to an entirely new level AGAIN. Taking place at a massive, spectacularly-crafted festival grounds, with a multitude of entertainment areas, dozens of incredible performers, and much more, the National ShamrockFest is now recognized as one of America ’s premier festivals. So get your green on and get ready to party like never before – at SHAMROCKFEST `09!!

Brought to you by: Bud Light, DC101, Hot 99.5 & HiBall Events

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@AlbrightDC posted to Twitter: #ShamrockFest Mar 14 RFK 50+ Acts Flogging Molly Junior Sanchez Burnt Sienna http://xrl.in/1onl http://pitch.pe/5558 Media Passes Available

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@AlbrightDC posted to Twitter: ShamrockFest 09 March 14 RFK Grounds 50+ Musical Acts Flogging Molly Junior Sanchez Burnt Sienna http://xrl.in/1onl http://pitch.pe/5558

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Uneven Steven's 2008 Political Wrap Up

Just to close some loose ends from the election:

Barack Hussein Obama proved that America truly is moving past its racist past, and Americans will get over his middle name, though pockets of racism still persist. He also achieved election by being as hopeful and direct as Reagan, and being FOR something as opposed to being against something.

Nancy Pelosi won the Battle of the Alpha Females by using her lieutenants to push Sen. Clinton out of the Presidential race and getting President Obama elected. Though given Hillary's predominance on Foreign Policy as Secretary of State now, I'd say Hillary ended up ok.

George W. Bush finished the dismantling of the Reagan Coalition which he started by imposing tariffs on foreign steel early in the decade and accelerated by using the federal government to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case in 2005. Of course firing Don Rumsfeld at two years too late and getting new management at DoD didn't help; neither did his failure to override the poor decisions of Louisiana Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco.

John McCain was doomed by his "Mavricky" past (thank you Tina Fey) which had alienated most of the GOP's campaign foot soldiers; everything. He will now return to being a thorn in the side of conservatives of all stripes.

Sarah Palin became an instant Rock Star with her speech at the Republican National Committee. She then imploded in a manner which will haunt her future ambitions. This implosion was caused either because (a) she's an idiot; or (b) she listened too much to her McCain campaign handlers, depending on whom you believe. I opt for option (c): Steve Schmidt didn't give her enough notice she would be the VP nominee and she was unable to get up to speed on the issues she needed to.

A Woman WILL become president in the near future. Both major parties have now nominated women as Vice Presidential candidates, and Sen. Clinton ran an amazing campaign that could've been won with better strategy and if Mark Penn had actually understood the nominating process.

Republicans continued to lose Congressional seats, further retreating towards being a regional (Southern) party; this is not good for Republicans or the nation. Arguments over rebuilding the party essentially now pit social conservatives (whose positions have driven away the moderate middle) against libertarians and others whom the party has marginalized, and whom the social conservatives can't tolerate. IMHO leaving the social conservatives ascendant will doom the party for years to Minority status.

The Democrat Party became more ascendant by becoming a somewhat bigger tent (most of their gains in the last two cycles came from electing more conservative Dems in Congressional Districts that usually go Republican). However, these conservative Dems will be rolled repeatedly by Speaker Pelosi and her liberal California allies in their quest to rollback every conservative achievement from the Reagan-Gingrich era.

Thanks for the Bailout, Now F@#! Off!

Mrs. Uneven and I currently are in the Midwest visiting the Uneven Parents. As folks out here are accustomed to doing, I went out to start the rental) car engine for a few minutes so that the car battery wouldn't die. Upon returning to the car to turn the engine off, I discovered to my chagrin that the Chrylser PT Cruiser automatically locks the car doors if the key is in the ignition. I consider this a minor design flaw, but nothing to get too upset about since most people, most of the time (i.e., non-Midwesterners and Midwesterners during warm months) don't leave their cars running for extended periods of time. What I am upset about is that Stu Hanson's Chrysler dealership in Des Moines, which has the ability to cut keys, refused to do so for me and in fact was quite rude about it. This comes despite the fact that Chrysler just received a boatload of my taxpayer dollars to stay in business.

Now, anyone paying attention to the U.S. auto industry should be aware that one of the industry's fundamental problems is that there are too many car dealerships and state franchise laws stop the Big 3 from reducing their number. Given the shabby treatment I received, it's no wonder the Big 3 are going under. When they finally go bankrupt, I'd like to see Stu Hanson's be one of the first dealerships closed.

2008 Commercial Soundtrack Playlist

Well, this is abbreviated and not up to my usual standards for these types of posts. I hope you've enjoyed the other ones. Here are the four songs in commercials that really stuck out at me recently (or on shows on my TiVo). I hope you find this minimally helpful.

"Colors" by Kira Wiley - Dell Commercial
"Bruises" by Chairlift - iPod Commercial
"Brand New Day" by Tim Myers - iPhone Commercial

"Silly Boy" by The Blue Van - Samsung Behold/T-Mobile Commercial

Obama is NOT the President-elect (Yet)

In point of fact, former Senator Obama has not been elected President yet. November 4, 2008 was merely the election of Presidential Electors. The new members of the Electoral College in turn will meet on December 15, 2008 in their respective State Capitals to cast their votes for President of the United States. The Senate will meet on January 8, 2009 to count the ballots. Whomever (99.999999999999% certain to be former Senator Obama)gets the most vote will then become the President-Elect for a whole 12 days before taking the oath of office as POTUS.

What should we call former Senator in the meantime? President-designate. Because the results of the November election clearly indicated that Americans wanted him to be the next President (i.e., we collectively designated him to be the next POTUS).

No one else probably cares about this, but I find it extremely irritating and further evidence the MSM is lazy and stupid.

Rosenberg's Accomplice Admits Their Guilt

Morton Sobell told The New York Times that he helped pass to the Soviet Union information about an aircraft gun during World War II when the Soviets were U.S. allies.

Sobell also implicated Julius Rosenberg in a conspiracy that delivered to the Soviets classified military and industrial information. He said Ethel Rosenberg was aware of her husband's espionage but did not actively participate. "She knew what he was doing," he said, "but what was she guilty of? Of being Julius' wife."

He said that information from Rosenberg was of little value to the Soviets, except to corroborate other reports. The Rosenbergs were executed in 1953.

Now I'm all for getting your husband's back, but there really are a few instances when you have to look into your soul and decide whether loyalty to your husband trumps his execrable treason against your nation. At least if you are in any way patriotic or care about your country and fellow Americans.

Step Down Mr. Young!

You have won your moral victory by winning the Alaska Republican primary today by fewer than 400 votes. But that is not the whole story. You and Lt. Gov. Parnell both received about 45% of the vote, and your other primary opponent won 9% of the vote. This means that 54% OF ALASKA REPUBLICANS DO NOT WANT YOU AS THE PARTY'S CONGRESSION NOMINEE OR TO REPRESENT THEM IN CONGRESS.

If 54% of your own party doesn't want you representing them any longer, do you really think that you have a shot in hell of winning the election in November? Please do your constituents, your party and your nation a favor and STEP DOWN. We have had enough of your corruption, venality, temper tantrums and pork barreling. And it is only a matter of time before you are indicted in the same corruption probe that ensnared Senator Stevens and his son. If you step down now you will be helping your party keep the Alaska Congressional seat, and maybe a small measure of whatever dignity you think you have left.

After all, you have already won the moral victory of technically becoming the party nominee even though more people voted against you than for you.

Apparently I'm a Cylon Infiltrator

I love Battlestar Gallactica. Best re-imagining of any TV series ever! Plus, it's chock full of conspiracies and aliens (ok evolved artificial intelligences) - two of my favorite things.

Actually went to the website and took the personality test. I'm a guerilla warrior resistance leader fighting for freedom. Pretty much the values I love and believe in - I would've loved to have fought in the Revolutionary War - establishing an entirely new government (New World Order - spooky!) unlike anything existing at the time and based on the innate nobility and equality of all men instead of divine right.

Though I wouldn't be a secret double agent unlike Sam or Gen. Arnold.

Snap Review: Virgin Festival

No - not the sacrificial kind. Though it does sound like a pro~abstinence rally.

STP rock the racetrack!
Iggy still Pops! Stooges not blind (from eye pokes)!
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Testing Mobile Blogging

I'm going to take a crack at live-blogging the Virgin Music Festival. We,ll see how it goes. Yesterday Mrs. Uneven did it from her phone and it was pretty cool, so I,m setting up blogger email so I can try it.

Please excuse all typos. It's a tiny keyboard.

Get Your War On Gets Animated

Love it! One of the earliest dissenters against the Global War on Terror gets animated. Amazingly, the first episode translates the comic to its new medium with great verisimilitude. Check out the comic here, and the animation below:

In Memoriam: Tim Russert

From Today's Congressional Quarterly

Remembering Tim Russert
By Bruce Drake, CQ Staff

Tim Russert, who died of a heart attack today at 58, will long be remembered for becoming such a force in political journalism that when he declared the Democratic nomination battle over after the May 6 Indiana and North Carolina primaries, well, for many people, that made it official.

But I’ll remember Russert for something else, which is that he was one hell of an impersonator.

I found that out when I started out covering Congress in Washington for the New York Daily News and Russert was starting out as press secretary to the late New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

I needed to get Moynihan on the phone one day for a story and a few hours after leaving a message, my phone rang and I heard Moynihan’s characteristic, “Uh . . . uh . . . Bruce . . . This is PAT Moynihan . . . (he always seemed to hit the “Pat” hard) . . . What can I do for you?”

He was right on time because we had a 4 p.m. first edition deadline for the Daily News “Night Owl” edition, which hit the streets in Manhattan at 7 p.m., and it was already 3:30 p.m.

I interviewed Moynihan for 10 minutes then said, “Gotta go, Senator. Deadline.”

“Go get ‘em,” Moynihan said.

O.K. You already know the punchline.

I had just interviewed Tim Russert for 10 minutes, completely fooled by the $%*#.

Now, I do have to say that all his answers were correct. They just didn’t come from Moynihan.

Which Tim was kind enough to call back five minutes before deadline and tell me.

I did exact some revenge. A few weeks later, when I knew Russert was out of town, I put in a call to Moynihan for another story, even though I didn’t really need him for it. He called back in about 10 minutes.

“Uh . . . uh . . . young Bruce, this is PAT Moynihan. What can I do for you?”

Remembering Tim Russert
I asked Moynihan where I could call him back. He seemed to be taken somewhat aback, not only at the idea I’d push off a call from a senator, but probably because he couldn’t figure out why I had to ask him for a number when he was in his office.

I called him back five minutes later and when he came to the phone, I said, “Sorry, Senator. I just needed to make sure it was you and not Russert.”

I think Moynihan thought it was funny. Maybe. Well, maybe not.

But Tim always had a way with his bosses. I don’t know 100 percent for sure that the following story is true, it sounds kind of apocryphal. But, still, it sounds like Tim.

Tim had gone on to work for New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and was with him around the time that Cuomo electrified audiences with his keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic Convention in San Francisco, which was probably the high point of Cuomo’s career as far as the national stage.

The story goes this way: Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa was visiting New York, and was riding in a limousine with Cuomo.

As the two chatted, Tutu was said to have told Cuomo, “I met that delightful young man who works for you, who said he wrote your San Francisco speech.”

I never really knew Cuomo. I did know of his ego. I don’t think Cuomo thought it was funny.

So, maybe Tim liked to claim credit for some stuff. But he was never full of himself, and always open and outgoing whether you were a VIP or just someone standing next to him at the bar.

Speaking of standing next to him at the bar, I got a little taste of Tim’s liking to make sure that credit was paid where it was due.

Tim had been one of my references back in 1991 when National Public Radio hired me as senior Washington editor.

After I had moved up to be vice president of news at NPR in 2000, I bumped into Tim at Billy Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown.

He congratulated me on the promotion and said, “You know, I GOT you that job at NPR.”

Remembering Tim Russert
So, I bought the next round over his weak protests.

The Clash of the Alpha Females Comes Out of the Shadows (Part 3)

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally brought her subterannean campaign against U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton into the light today. In today's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Speaker Pelosi said "I will step in" if there is no resolution by late June regarding the seating of delegates from Florida and Michigan, the two states that defied party rules by holding early primaries.

Speaker Pelosi's now frontal assualt on Senator Clinton is being waged in the name of "Democratic Party Unity," but is really rooted in her own ambition.After all, "There can be only one" Alpha Female in town, and Pelosi desperately wants to avoid her historical moment as first female U.S. House Speaker not to be upstaged by the first female U.S. President.

When the Speaker "steps in," it will be to attempt to bum rush the remaining uncommitted (cowardly) Superdelegates into supporting Barack Obama. It's no secret that her more ardent supporters support Senator Obama and the remanining uncommitted superdelegates who are U.S. House Democrats are afraid to endorse Senator Clinton out of fear of the Speaker.

Speaker Pelosi will also try to use her influence and statements to undermine the argument that sexism is the root of Senator Clinton's failure to win the Democratic Nomination. This would be false for two reasons: (1) managing to get elected by a majority of the 230+ House Democrats to the most powerful Constitutional position does not actually mean sexism doesn't exist, it just means Pelosi's a smart Pol (i.e., a female Speaker does not equal a lack of national sexism); (2) Just because a powerful female comes out and engineers things to benefit a man, does not mean that the man did not previously benefit from sexism.

Those are are just logical flaws in Pelosi's attempts to undermine the sexism argument. They don't even address her hidden agenda, which I discussed above and earlier (click on the Alpha Female tag below)

You Always Lose the Debate When You Invoke Hitler

It's just a basic rule of political/philosophical discourse. Anytime you invoke a comparison to Hitler or his enabler's, you lose the debate. Period. End of discussion.

Even taking the Bush Administration at their word that they were really criticizing Carter's visit with Hamas (which I find contemptible due to their support of terrorist tactics, despite my support for the Palestinian cause), invoking Hitler was not politically smart. Hitler allusions are the last refuge of the intellectually weak who can't justify their positions/opinios without referencing one of the most evil men in history (Stalin and Mao killed more people indiscriminately and therefore arguably were more evil if you count simple bodies. However, the evil of Hitler's agenda, while banal, was well thought out, organized and rationally planned on a level of magnitude far different than the latter two).

To their credit, the Obama campaign was quick to use Bush's address to Knesset as a way of jump starting/ furbishing their weak foreign policy cred and taking the fight to the deeply (and deservedely) unpopular President. In doing so, they not only elevated themselves to the same level as the President by taking Bush on directly, but they further kept Hillary Clinton out of the news for another cycle, and possibly the weekend, thus hindering her campaign efforts in Oregon.

In short, Bush is a moron and Obama possesses a top-notch and savvy political team. Which really shouldn't be unexpected given that many of them were the Daschle Presidential campaign in waiting before John Thune beat him (barely) in 2004).

Another Step Down the Slippery Slope of Designer Babies & Transhumanism

AP reports that for the first time in known history researchers have aktered the genetic code of a human embryo. The entire story can be found here, but the money quote is:

The idea of designer babies is that someday, scientists may insert particular genes into embryos to produce babies with desired traits like intelligence or athletic ability. Some people find that notion repugnant, saying it turns children into designed objects, and would create an unequal society where some people are genetically enriched while others would be considered inferior.

The fear articulated above is completely legitimate. Afterall, no one really wants to live Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. The article referenced above quotes a scientist from the Center for Genetics and Society that said these techniques could be used by others to make genetically modified people, "and they're doing it without any kind of public debate." I'm all for scientific advancement, but bioethical issues such as this deserve to be debate fully by our society. It's bad enough that we have a meritocracy which looks down on those who fail to climb up as far. Establihing a new caste system created because those Thomas Jefferson referred to as The Natural Aristocracy in his Notes on the State of Virginia have access to wealth and resources which allow them to further priviledge their offspring through genetic engineering threatens our entire national identity. It also would profoundly alter social dynamics throughout the world.

There is an alternative movement called transhumanism which embraces the concept of germline genetic engineering and human nuero-interfacing with computers etc. as a way of furthering human potential. It's an active movement with whom I don't have as much quarrel on the neuro-interfacing issue because those hardward based modifications won't permanently be encoded and passed down in our genes. However it embraces a philosophy which essentially believes that anything which can be done should and will be done. Unfortunately, this philosophy is a pretty close approximation of how technology is advancing on our planet. Anything which is abhorrent to Western Civilization or Judeo-Christian Values will likely just take root and advance in Asia which does not necessarily share the same moral/philosophical values.

Such a step actually makes the prospect of a new caste system even worse because it further limits access to these technologies to those rich enough to travel to Asia and stay long enough to have the procedures performed.

I'm not sure what the answer to this is. But it is another step down the slippery slope.

Obama Owes McCain an Apology (and is just plain weak)

First of all John McCain simply repeated what Ahmed Yousef, chief political adviser to the Prime Minister said when he said that Hamas preferred an Obama Presidency. Here's the quote in its entirety:

"We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election." This statement was made in an interview with Aaron Klein and John Batchelor interviewed on WABC.

Now we know why Obama was so sensitive to accusations that Hamas would prefer him as President - one of his advisors had been meeting with members of the radical terrorist group which wants to annilate Israel. The Washington Post piece on the meetings is here. Even Politifact.com - a non-partisan political fact checking website validates McCain's statement is "mostly true." You can find the entire analysis here.

Of course Chris Matthews and the liberal MSM won't discuss this on the Sunday morning shows - it would undermine their efforts to impose a liberal agenda on the nation. Anyone thinking Obama represents a restoration of Camelot misunderstands not only Obama's but also JFK's ideology. JFK was much more conservative than Nixon - an irony the left refuses to acknowledge and he aggressively fought Communism in every corner of the globe.

JFK confronted Communism throughout the Western Hemisphere, in Europe and in Asia. He backed at least one attempted coup against a Communist regime (Cuba) and a war to stop Communist insurgency in Southeast Asia (Vietnam). And he did these both without negotiating with our enemies.

Like it or not for the multi-culti left, Terrorism is the new Communism and the Global War on Terror is the new containment. Even Europe is beginning to wake up to the threats posed by the Iranian backed global terrorist movement (Hamas, Hezbollah and and has begun electing center-right governments which support taking the fight to the extremists before they bring it back here (again).