Damn Hippies

Found this doozy at socialsecuritychoice.com, but for some reason their trackbacks aren't working. Anyway, it makes a good point.

Leftist Math

I sat down yesterday to write a long winded inspired piece about the new social security calculator put out by the dems. Long story short, I ended up at the bar. Luckily there are more responsible (and knowledgeable) men and women out there.

#1. Democrats assume that current Social Security systems can pay promised
benefits, but, in fact, benefits would be cut 27 percent by 2042 if nothing is
done. (Source)
#2.
Democrats assume final plan will include price-indexing when price indexing is
not in plan president laid out in State Of The Union address. (Source)
#3. Democrats do not account for investment gains. (Source)
The Washington Post: “Personal Accounts Would Boost
Benefits For The Average Retiree” Because Real Rate Of Return Is Expected To Be
4.6 Percent. (Source)
#4. Democrats make up “Privatization Tax” -
President’s plan merely prevents “double-dipping” by allowing workers portion of
traditional benefits if they choose PRAs. President Bush’s plan “would require
those who opt for a personal account to forgo some of their regular benefits.
It’s simply a trade-off - and it’s necessary to prevent double-dipping by both
having a personal account and drawing full benefits.” (Source)

Friday Sports Roundup

Inspired by this incredibly terrible article in the Urinal.

"My sole purpose is to try and have him remain coach of the Green Bay
Packers," LaMonte said Thursday. "I'm very positive about what I think will be a
good outcome.

Madison Memorial lost a shocker in OT to Janesville...boy things have changed since my HS hockey days...

Badger hockey has a MONSTROUS series this weekend, and as always, I am going to make the attempt to get in. (saturday is sold out, Friday close.) Some good (and strange) UW Hockey articles...As an aside to the strange article, we (Waukesha Memorial) worked Talafous and #1 Superior in 98. So how big is this weekend for the Badgers McNoughton Cup hopes?? Only 5 points separate the Badgers from CC, who has to play second place Denver the final weekend. A Badger sweep puts Bucky only 1 point behind CC, and easily within Cup grasp!



USCHO.com had this fun fact:

Talking trivia: Wisconsin is averaging 12,615 fans for its home games this season — a figure that is better than last season's home averages of which two NHL teams? Answer below. Wisconsin's attendance average is better than last season's average of the Carolina Hurricanes (12,171) and Pittsburgh Penguins (11,871).

An even better fact? Minnesota has won just once in its last eight home games (1-6-1). Gophers still suck.

NASCAR news...hometown boys Kenseth, Wimmer, Kvapil will start 14, 16, and 24th respectively at Daytona.

Rooting for the enemy...

Kurt Anderson has a fascinating story in the New Yorker Magazine. Mr. Sykes read it on the air and I felt I had to put a few excerpts on here. It really is amazing that an avowed lefty would write things so honestly and openly.

Seriously: The success of the [Iraqi] elections poses a major
intellectual-moral-political problem for people in this city. The cognitive
dissonance is palpable...Now the people of this Bush-hating city are being
forced to grant the merest possibility that Bush, despite his annoying manner
and his administration’s awful hubris and dissembling and incompetence
concerning Iraq, just might—might, possibly—have been correct to invade, to
occupy, and to try to enable a democratically elected government in
Iraq...Of course, for all but a nutty fringe, it is not a matter of actually
wishing for an insurgent victory, but rather of hating the idea of a victory
presided over by the Bush team.

As this last U.S. election cycle began, however, a new subspecies of
liberal guilt arose—over the pleasure liberals took in bad news from Iraq, which
seemed sure to hurt the administration...[He finally comes out and says it,
liberals were HAPPY about bad news coming from Iraq. As we all know, bad
news means dead Americans and innocent Iraqi's]...Each of us has a
Hobbesian choice concerning Iraq; either we hope for the vindication of Bush’s
risky, very possibly reckless policy, or we are in a de facto alliance with the
killers of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians...

It is a brutally honest piece of journalism unlike much you'll see from democrats. If the left keeps being this honest, they might actually have a shot in 4 years. Good thing Dean and the Deaniacs will piss off everyone in the country by then.

"Hey, black people, get back in the kitchen! YEEEEEAHAAAAHHAHA"

One week in office and he his foot is firmly lodged in his mouth...this guy is AWESOME!

My first tech-geek post

X-Box 360 revealed. My only question is will I be able to hack it so I can upload games for free...not that I do that. The question is purely for research purposes.


Honestly.

Our inside source says that the console is a sleek silver device worthy of
countertop display, and features an inhaled design that turns the harsh angles
of the original Xbox into sweeps and curves. The device will also be able to
stand upright or on it’s side, much like the Playstation 2. The side of the 360°
is dominated by an oversized, back-lit power button called the ring of light,
and the rest of the case can be customized with colorful designer face plates
that pop on and off. The 360°s dashboard will also be customizable, making each
console a thing totally unique to its owner.
Some of the inner workings of
the 360° have also been confirmed. The device will feature high definition audio
and video and wireless controllers, and will come in two flavors—one with a hard
drive and one without. The biggest shock is that while Microsoft wants to make
their 360° backwards compatible, they haven’t yet been able to pull it off.

They don't all have ear necklaces??

NRO via Vodkapundit...

It seems we don't turn our men and women out on the unsuspecting world to rape and pillage. Interestingly enough, Mary Beth Sheridan of the WaPo didn't find a single Colonel Kurtz when hanging with the troops in Iraq. Personally, I think she wrote such glowing words out of fear. She's seen Full Metal Jacket and didn't want a soap wuppin...

First of all, she said she was "overwhelmed by the military," but she did learn
by being embedded that members of our armed forces were not "blood-thirsty
maniacs." Yes, she really did say that.
In fact, she said, they were "really
decent people." And even "sweet." Of course, after being shot at they were eager
to shoot back — a military attitude that seemed to surprise her.
She also
reported that when she asked soldiers why were they in Iraq, every single one
told her, "to help the Iraqi people." Again she was surprised that the military
could create such a unity of purpose even though, she said, she didn't see any
"brainwashing" going on

Incredibly, Mary Beth couldn't find one single Kilgore over there to tell her he "loved the smell of Napalm in the morning." Rumsfeld must have gotten to her...this needs to be investigated!

Good news for Hillary

With the new class-action limiting law suits, trial lawyers will have less money to throw at their puppy Edwards, giving Hillary more room...Honestly, the thought of Hillary or Feingold running in 08 just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Dick Morris aside, Hillary would get swamped. She does not play well over time. She is decent in small doses but starts to become grating over long stretches. Since the 08 campaign will basically begin in 2006, the American public will be far too exposed to her for too long a time. I liken her to George Karl. She'll come out strong, showing some fire, intensity and have early success. Eventually everyone will tire of her antics and just want her to go away. I'm speaking obviously on a national level, I will never claim to understand New Yawkas.

greedy lawyers have taken advantage of the state class action lawsuit
system by filing frivolous lawsuits in certain state courts where they know they
can win big dollar verdicts. Meanwhile, those lawyers’ clients get only small
sums or coupons giving them discounts for the products of the company they just
sued, lawmakers said.
“Frivolous lawsuits are clogging America’s judicial
system, endangering America’s small businesses, jeopardizing jobs and driving up
prices for consumers,” said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
Moving those
cases to federal court will ensure that state judges will no longer “routinely
approve settlements in which the lawyers receive large fees and the class
members receive virtually nothing,” he added.

Jose Canseco

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this (seriously, I think this is all Dan Patrick is ever going to talk about on his radio show until April) and have formed a few conclusions.

First, there is no way any other whistle blower is treated this harshly by the media. It is disgraceful that for some reason they are questioning Jose Canseco's credibility. It is especially appalling that 60 Minutes ran a piece essentially questioning Canseco's credibility. You would think they would possibly question Bill Burkett's credibility in an issue with far-reaching election implications as harshly as they cirticized Canseco? CBS news continues to be a joke. I don't remember them questioning that idiot weapons inspector Ritter's credibility (even though he was an obvious partisan hack, proven over and over) when he was trying to blow a whistle on the Bush administration.

Second, the real reason Canseco wrote the book is not because he needed money. He simply wanted to change his legacy. He did not want people to remember his for that Carlos Martinez ball bouncing off his head for a home run. (I apologize for my inability to find a picture of that fantastic moment in MLB history).

Negroponte named National Intelligence Director

Who in their right mind would want this job? It is a toothless figurehead position with no real control and no real "foot soldiers." In addition, Mr. Negroponte will be the first person expected to fall on his sword if, God forbid, something would happen on our soil.

Confirmed as ambassador on May 6, 2004, Negroponte had earlier been the U.S.
permanent representative to the United Nations since Sept. 18, 2001.
From
1997 to 2001, Negroponte was executive vice president for global markets at The
McGraw-Hill Companies.
Negroponte was a career diplomat from 1960 to 1997,
serving at eight different posts in Asia, Europe, and Latin America, according
to his State Department biography. He also held important positions at the State
Department and the White House.
A Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
and the American Academy of Diplomacy, he is a graduate of Yale University.

The main reason I like this choice however, is because the lunatics over at democraticunderground are going nuts!

What a scary evil douchebag.

Holy shit--that guy is a CRIMINAL

Be VERY afraid...DITCHES full of corpses...

A Murderer And Nefarious Operator Is Now In Charge Of Our
Intelligence

NOW, I REALLY, REALLY WANNA GET THE HELL OUTTA' THIS INSANE
COUNTRY!!!

Seriously, these people are hillarious. I am convinced some day the moderator will jump up and say "Ha, wasn't this site a funny satire!" It's like an Onion of the Leftists for me.

The Pentagon Channel

pretty darn cool. Streaming 24 hours a day supposedly. Haven't seen any breaking news or anything in the twenty minutes I'vebeen watching, but still pretty cool.

The Carter Attack Sub: Some Gems from The Corner

over at NRO's The Corner, they are having a field day with the news that the Navy is naming an attack sub after the inept former President Jimmy Carter:

Will battle sound like this?:
Skipper: Load tubes 1 and 3!
Ensign: Tubes 1 and 3 loaded
sir.
Skipper: Release the diplomats!

The USS Jimmy Carter?!? My mind is starting to explode with all of the
comedic possibilities. What, will the sub break down in the middle of the ocean
on its way to rescue operations? Will everyone on the sub have to wear sweaters?
Instead of a morale officer, will the boat feature a "malaise official?" What if
the sub comes across a rabbit in the water? Will there be a "moral equivalent to
combat operations" on this sub? These jokes just write themselves.

According to Jim
Dunnigan's "How to Make War" web site the USS Jimmy Carter will be the
designated SPY SUBMARINE for the US Fleet, taking the place of the USS Narwhal
and others. That means that Jimmy Carter's namesake will creeping about
violating other nations sovereignty and SPYING on them! Considering Mr. Carter's
credentials, I believe that this is the cruelest and best revenge possible by
the Navy on one of its alumni.

My favorite:

"Will the U.S.S. Jimmy Carter be hammered together by weekend volunteers?"

Damn

Incredible article, ridiculous quote...

New robotic soldiers WILL have large role in US military in next ten years. Of course, this leads the NY Times to search for a lunatic to quote. Enter Bill Joy (Sun Microsystems co-founder):

21st-century robotics and nanotechnology may become "so powerful that they
can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses...As machines become more
intelligent, people will let machines make more of their decisions for them,"
Mr. Joy wrote recently in Wired magazine. "Eventually a stage may be reached at
which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so complex that
human beings will be incapable of making them intelligently. At that stage, the
machines will be in effective control."

Did he steal that from Terminator? Come on, that has to be a Terminator quote..."the machines will be in effective control!" We Must destroy Skynet!!

I am always curious as to why the scientists are so bent on making the robots appear human-like. Personally, I liked this idea:

Robots in battle, as envisioned by their builders, may look and move
like..hummingbirds, tractors or tanks, cockroaches or crickets. With the
development of nanotechnology - the science of very small structures - they may
become swarms of "smart dust."

Seriously, a swarm of "smart dust" nano robots at our disposal...slip a squadron into a Mid East dust storm and "adios Ayatollah!"

Badger Hockey Update

Nice article with a few Bruckler quotes.

"I was on there and I was grinding my teeth and I was still thinking about it a
little bit," Bruckler said. "But more, already thinking about the next thing. It
takes me a couple days after a loss or just a bad performance where I'm not
playing that great. I have huge pride in that, and I just want to come out there
and do the best I can for my team. The bottom line is to win games, and the last
three games we didn't do that."

Another huge weekend for the Badgers, and I will be at Friday nights game for sure, and possibly get myself into the Saturday game as well. I will also be in the Belly of the Beast (Madison) Friday afternoon watching some prep games, checking out some Badger prospects and a Gopher prospect who just happens to be dating my little sister. Perhaps he'll make it home...

We'll know Dagenhart's status this afternoon or tomorrow morning (shoulder).

** The Badgers' magic number to clinch at least third place in the final standings is five points.

I apologize in advance, but we all need a good laugh

Jesus, is anybody really this friggin stupid?

The comments really are the best, except of course, for this:

ON BRITNEY'S BENJAMINS
Details: People think Kevin is with you for your money.
Kevin: Oh, yeah.
Britney: Well, time will tell, motherchuckers...
Kevin: What you hear about in all those bullshit-ass magazines is bullshit.

Yes, she is quoted as saying motherchuckers.

Okay, so this was all just an excuse for this picture...

Kim Johnson of Milwaukee, our Idiot of the Week

After all the fervor over the "little Eichmanns" quote from Ward Churchill's
essay "Some People Push Back," I decided, unlike most critics, to read the essay
in full ("UW-Whitewater expected to decide today on permitting speech /
University fields calls, e-mails on professor, Feb. 10").
I thought it was
impassioned, flawed and poorly reasoned, much like the "rationale" given for
going to war, for the unlawful holding of human beings in Guantanamo Bay and for
the so-called Patriot Act. But the essay was certainly not without
merit.
Anyone who has any knowledge of Nazi trials knows that Adolf Eichmann
was convicted not of being a mass murderer but of enabling the Nazi war machine
to run smoothly and so contributing to the deaths of millions. Which was the job
of some who worked at the Twin Towers; to help a system run smoothly that was
responsible for the deaths of so many innocents across the ocean.
I do not
feel those people got what they deserved. They deserved a job that provided for
their families without having to worry about the utter lack of any ethics or
compassion or humanity of the company they worked for. But because of the sick
society we live in, not many people get what they deserve.

Kim Johnson

Milwaukee

Kim, I too read the essay, and found it absurdly simplified and have since found it oddly defended. Churchill himself has said he wasn't talking about the broom pushers and cafeteria workers. This puzzles me. Aren't they "part of the machine?" Would those evil stock brokers and numbers crunchers have been able to perfrom their jobs with such efficiency if not for those individuals? What about the firefighters and policemen that Mr. Churchill, the fraudulent Indian, so kindly absolves from any Nazi refrence? Would these men and women who were massacred in the WTC have been able to even have a place of work if not for the protection given by those brave men and women of the NYPD/FD? Isn't it those very heroes that allow men and women to leave their children in the hands of others, because of the laws the police enforce and the amount of protection provided by their services?

Kim's logic is as flawed as that Churchill fraud. "Anyone who has any knowledge of Nazi trials knows that Adolf Eichmann was convicted not of being a mass murderer but of enabling the Nazi war machine to run smoothly and so contributing to the deaths of millions. Which was the job of some who worked at the Twin Towers; to help a system run smoothly that was responsible for the deaths of so many innocents across the ocean." In essence, because they were part of the machine, they are a valid target. Who then, isn't a valid target? To begin with, our teachers empart the knowledge that allows these men and women to function as machinery cogs. Our service workers allow the men and women time and energy to perform these evil tasks that allow our nation to brutalize people across oceans. Obviously politicians are evil. Any consumer I suppose is equally as culpable according to Ms. Johnson, after all, they feed the fire of capitalism.

In short, every one of us is "part of the machine" that Ms. Johnson and Mr. Churchill so desperately despise. No wonder I don't find it difficult to find Mr. Churchill and like minded individuals so contemptable.

Email updates

For some absurd reason the updates I have been sending in via email have not been posting. I am working on it but since that is how I mainly post, things could remain slow for a day or so.