Rigging Elections Redux

The former weapons inspector famous for his pro-Saddam stance and (his solicitation of teenagers for sex) before the Iraq War has accused the Bush administration of rigging the Iraq vote against the Shi'ia. Ritter claims "well-placed sources" within Iraq have informed him that the Shia'ia really received 56% of the vote, not the 47% reported. In the process Mr. Ritter not only accuses the US of fixing the election, he also manages to compare President Bush's administration to not only Hitler, but Stalin and Saddam as well. Surely a leftists triple play that will excite nutters everywhere.

In Iraq, democracy was hijacked by the Americans...The lowering of the Shi'a
vote re-engineered the post-election political landscape in Iraq dramatically.
The goal of the U.S., in doing this, is either to guarantee the adoption of the
U.S.-drafted interim constitution, or make sure that there are not enough votes
to adopt any Shi'a re-write. If the U.S.-drafted Iraqi constitution prevails,
the Bush administration would be comfortable with the secular nature of any
Iraqi government it produces. If it fails, then the Bush administration would
much rather continue to occupy Iraq under the current U.S.-written laws, than
allow for the creation of a pro-Iranian theocracy. In any event, the Shi'a stand
to lose...But in any case, the American 'cooking' of the Iraqi election is, in
the end, a defeat for democracy and the potential of democracy to effect real
and meaningful change in the Middle East. The sad fact is that it is not so much
that the people of the Middle East are incapable of democracy, but rather the
United States is incapable of allowing genuine democracy to exist in the Middle
East.

I am sure many of you will remember his willingness to run around the talk show circuit spewing his anit-American bile and it seems it has paid off for him (maybe even as much as he allegedly got from Saddam). He is now writing for the extreme-left AlterNet.org and revving up like minded leftists all over DU.

This is just his latest in a series of articles pandering to the ultra anti-American left wing. In addition to accusing the United States of tampering with the Iraqi election, he also says we are going to bomb Iran in June. In making his claims he failed to mention any source, other than fellow anti-American peacenik Sy Hersh.

I don't mean to brag...

but check out today's traffic! The one-two college sports combo brought in the bulk...



All in all, it's a heck of a nice way to go on vacation. FYI there will be light blogging tomorrow followed by a lull as I "binge on booze and broads" as my barber Bob (no kidding, I know the alliteration might be hard to believe but it's true) so elloquently put it. I also might drop by the Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash as I will be in Denver that weekend.

Anyway, thanks a lot everyone, and if you're looking for the Tyler Hirsch video just scroll down.

More Medical Ethics (engineering your children)

There is something just wrong about this story.

A Commons Science and Technology Committee report said more decisions about fertility treatment should be made by patients and their doctors.

The MPs also called for the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to be disbanded.

And they said "taboo" research, such as implanting human cells into animals, should be considered, with regulation.

I have terrible Island of Dr. Moreau visions reading that, but wait thre's more...

And it said there was no "compelling evidence" to prohibit couples undergoing IVF being able to choose to have a girl or boy if that was what they felt was necessary to "balance out" their family.

The MPs also said that decisions about whether to allow embryos to be checked for genetic conditions, or to see if they are a match for a sick sibling - should be taken out of the hands of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

Instead, patients and their doctors should decide if it should be used in their case, under the auspices of a local ethics committee, the report said.

Pick your child's traits. Genetic engineering, Gattica (I love that movie!) The study actually uses the term chimera (human/animal genetic monstrosity) and suggests the only limits should be scientific and the will of individual scientists.

This is one of those situations that just pop out as being "wrong." There are plenty of reasons for this (think Aldous Huxley's Brave New World because as Judge Smails says "the world needs ditch diggers...") but reason is secondary to the fact that this is just plain wrong. If we begin with boy/girl we all know it won't end there. We will start allowing parents to pick any number of genetically malleable traits.

From there it is not difficult to imagine a shortage of labor. Take for instance unskilled labor, such as a general manufacturer. Eventually no parent is going to "build" their child without some special skill that will greatly benefit them in their adult life. As such there will be no one left to take the low-level labor jobs. Once this shortage becomes apparent, government will have to act. Since we already have (theoretically) decades of genetic engineering behind us, we won't hesitate to "create' government peoples with no special skills to perform the labor....boom that drug-addled Huxley's vision of a Brave New World is realized as privileged individuals are created as such and "others" are created to dig the ditches...

I'm just saying, it seems genetic engineering is the slippriest of all slippery slopes.

The Great Flu Shortage...the aftermath

The story led the news for a few weeks last year, and it was used as a political tool by the left to try and knock President Bush during the election.

Remeber this ad?

If you’re an elderly man or woman. If you’re a young child. If you’re a pregnant woman – George Bush and the Republicans have this to say on health care: don’t get sick.


That’s what they said, confronted with a flu vaccine shortage of their making. Don’t get sick.

They relied on foreign workers to make the vaccine. A company with a bad track record.

Now we're about 50 million vaccines short. 50 million.

If they can’t even deal with the flu vaccine, how are they going to deal with bio terror vaccines?

I mean, George Bush and the Republicans are so busy kow-towing to drug companies, so busy giving them billions, helping them price gouge, pumping up their profits…so busy selling us out, they can’t even get vaccines to keep pregnant woman safe from the flu.

4 more years? They haven’t earned it. Not even close.

It’s time for a new direction. John Kerry for president.”

John Kerry: I'm John Kerry, I’m running for president, and I approved this ad.

Announcer: Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004 Inc. and the Democratic National Committee.”

Well, it seems there was no flu shortage after all. Think Mr. Kerry will apologize, think he'll even address the issue? Do you honestly think anyone will address the issue?

More than 16 million healthy adults who received flu shots in the 2003-04 flu season stepped aside this season to let the limited supply of vaccine go to those Americans who needed it most, health care officials said Tuesday.

And yet, at season's end, 4.5 million doses went unsold.

Don't hold your breath on that Kerry apology.

Hardball Times: Five Questions for Milwaukee Brewers

Nice little write up offering hope and reality for fans of the Crew.

J.J. Hardy is the most likely of the three to make an impact in the major
leagues this season. Hardy held had an excellent offensive season in Double-A
while only 21, and was hitting well in Triple-A last season before suffering a
labrum injury in retribution for the Richie Sexson trade. While there's no
reason to doubt Hardy's ability to make contact, his success will depend on
whether he can import his outstanding walk from 2003 and whether the solid power
he's displayed in the minor leagues will carry over despite his shoulder
problems. If Hardy shows no lingering effects from the injury, his offensive
projection is comfortably above average for a major league shortstop. On top of
that, Hardy has drawn rave reviews for his defense, so his margin for error with
the bat is a little greater.

But if everyone lives up to expectations, Brady Clark manages to repeat his
2004, Geoff Jenkins stays healthy, Russ Branyan reaches base often enough to be
productive, the Brewers aren't affected by their lack of depth, and the bullpen
finds itself performing capably, they've got a reasonable if distant shot at
making the playoffs. In any event, they've got a good chance of breaking
the elusive .500 threshold.

The Brewers have what it takes and are finally moving in the right
direction, but they're going to need a lot more hard work and at least a little
luck to become a perennial contender. Their strategy of developing outstanding
young talent, finding decent fill-ins at the major league level, and stocking
the organization with quality coaching and managerial staff should soon pay
dividends, if it isn't already.

I'm skeptical, as Mr. Meeghan spends most of the article breaking down the Crew, then says they have an outside playoff shot?

Why do I always let them do this to me...

Olbermann and I agree

Well, for once me and this pompus, in-over-his-head talking head on the least watched network in news finally agree on something, namely Bonds. He has been pretty spot on with the whole steroid thing, and his take on Bond's latest pout-fest is pretty much the same as mine.

There are two facts to consider here. If Barry Bonds really has been juiced
all this time — what are his options? To keep doing it until he gets caught? To
suddenly stop and turn back into your average 40-year old ballplayer and never
get to pass Hank Aaron’s record? Or is a third one more appealing? To ‘have’
to retire due to the bad knee, or the ‘malicious’ media coverage. To pass up the
chance at Aaron’s record (and, oh by the way, to pass up ever having to be
tested for steroids again) and go out in a blaze of martyrdom?
Some of Bonds’ other remarks in Scottsdale suggested as much. “You wanted me to jump off the bridge,” he said to no one in particular, “and I finally jumped. You wanted to bring me down and you have brought me and my family down. You have finally done it, all of you. So now, go pick on a different person. I am done.”
There is one other option here, a little less melodramatic, but even more conspiratorial.
It should be noted that under the new steroid-testing program, a player on
baseball’s disabled list — say, a guy rehabilitating a knee injury — is not
required to be tested for the drug use. If, say, a particular player had been
using steroids all these years and needed to let the steroids clear out of his
system, the absolute best place for him to be right now — would be on a pair of
crutches.

Tyler Hirsch Video

Well, I finally got it uploaded onto the net, and I'll offer it for download here (click post title). I honestly don't think it is anything for people to complain about, but if the story takes a turn for the worse I will be taking this down.



For the story on what happened see my previous posts here and here

French bid au revoir to 35-hour workweek (MSNBC)

I am shocked, shocked! that such a socialist ideal failed. In other news, the latest Jean Claude van Damme vehicle has had its release date pushed back a month.

The diversion continues

I am sitting here sifting through my RSS feeds from the day and transferring a bunch of Buffet onto my Dell DJ20 in preparation for my innaugural post-college Spring Break and came across this gem.

Orioles pitcher Eric DuBose was arrested and charged with driving under the influence early Monday morning in Sarasota, Fla., before making a start later that day at the team's minor league complex. He was released on $500 bond.

The report states DuBose informed Clark he had "a couple" drinks at the Cafe Gardens and Daquiri Deck in Sarasota. When instructed to recite the alphabet, DuBose allegedly said, "I'm from Alabama, and they have a different alphabet."

That is stupendous!

nod to Baseball Musings

Have some Wisco Cheese

to go with that Frisco whine Mr. Bonds.

In what can only be described as fantastically amusing, Barry Bonds is complaining that the media is treating him poorly. His entire career has been one long brooding feud against the media, now they won't play nice, and Barry is going to take his ball and go home.

Personally, I think Barry is afraid to play without the juice and wants a year to bulk up without needles and creams.

A dejected Barry Bonds said Tuesday that there's a chance he might not
return this season because of multiple knee surgeries.

"Right now
I'm just going to try to rehab myself to get back to, I don't know, hopefully
next season, hopefully the middle of the season. I don't know. Right now I'm
just going to take things slow. I feel bad for the guys[Giants teammates]
because I want to be out there for them," he said Tuesday after meeting with San
Francisco Giants trainer Stan Conte for 1½ hours.

"You guys [the media] wanted to hurt me bad enough, you finally got
there. "You wanted me to jump off the bridge, I finally have jumped. You
wanted the bring me down, you've finally brought me and my family down. Finally
done it. From everybody, all of you. So now go pick a different person. I'm
done. Do the best I can, that's about it."

I just can't figure out why this guy isn't beloved by America...must be racism.



(I know, I know this is supposed to be politics. Honestly, I just don't have anything to say about Terry Schiavo so I am trying to steer clear of the whole mess til I get back...consider this the shallow end of the Wisconsin blogosphere for the next few days)

Why the Leftists Fail (The Babe Theory of Political Movements)

nod to Dummocrats.com

WILLisms.com has a fantastic theory (complete with pictures) on the Babe Theory of Political Movements (complete with pictures).

I especially like "The American Left Has Lost It's Curves" section.

The IRS Rant (feel free to add-on in comments)

Okay, I have to set this up a little bit as it is an ongoing problem I have been having with getting my state refund. Last year, I screwed up my address when filing online and once you enter it, it cannot be changed. Basically I mixed up my Milwaukee address with my parents zip code (brilliant I know). I realized my error immediately and called that night to make the change. The woman I talked to said there was nothing that could be done and that I would have to wait til the check was processed, sent out, returned and then would be sent back out to the correct address. I was incredulous. Because of a zip code error I was going to have to wait an extra month to get the refund. I wasn't angry though, as it was my fault.

About six weeks goes by and I still hadn't received the refund. I decided to give the IRS a call again, and it seems the woman who I had originally talked to never corrected my address, but instead had screwed it up even worse. So now my check is basically floating around somewhere, but hasn't been cashed. They decide to cancel that check and process a new one, making sure this time to get the address correct. This was two months after the original two - four weeks they say you should get your refund.

So, after two unsuccessful attempts, I finally get my refund...roughly seventeen weeks later than expected.

Round two, this year. I filed my taxes last week to make sure I got my state refund back before my two week vacation (I leave Friday) to Arizona and Colorado. I file, have them direct deposited and they tell me it will be two to three days for the state, about two weeks for federal...perfect, right?

Well, I go online to check the status of my refund last night and get a message saying "your refund has been intercepted to pay an outstanding debt to another government agency" I am flabbergasted. I have no idea what this message means, and no clue why I am getting it. The only government agency I know of that I owe any money to is for student loans, and I have those deferred right now, so no delinquency there. I have also done my free credit check so I know there are no complaints there. I was stunned.

I had to wait til 7:45 (what the hell kind of office hours are 7:45 -
4??) this morning to call, which I of course promptly did. I called at 7:45 on the button, and get put on hold where they tell me I am number four in the queue. Whatever.
Ten minutes later I get a very pleasant woman who gets my information and chuckles. She actually chuckled. "It seems that the Department of Health and Human Services has you for an outstanding debt of $30, and your return was stopped for that reason."
Okay, my return of $600 was stopped for a $30 charge to a department I didn't know existed at the state level. Calm, calm...

I asked her when the rest of my money would be deposited in my bank account, since obviously I was getting far more than thirty dollars.

"Well, once it is intercepted, the direct deposit line is broken, and we have to mail you a check. You can expect that in 6-8 weeks. Also, the HHS will be sending you a notice as to why they took your return"

I have no clue why I owe this agency $30. Zero, none, totally in the dark. All I know is that because of this $30, I will be $600 lighter on my two week vacation. Why in God's name can they not just take the $30 (I don't CARE about the thirty bucks, just give me my damn money!!) out of the deposit and give me the remainder?? Is that so freaking difficult!?!


Anyway, the point of this was more than cathartic. I was wondering if anyone has any clue how one become indebted to the health and human services department of Wisconsin. Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Help Needed

I have acquired the Tyler Hirsch video and really think it should be seen. It does not seem quite the mental breakdown people are conveying it as. He didn't strip naked and skate around the rink a la Slap Shot and he didn't freak out. Basically at the end of the game he was taking out his frustrations. I talked to some Gopher fans who watched the game and it seems that Tyler had missed a few open net chances and was playing pretty frustrated throughout. The USCHO message boards seem to bear that out.

Anyway, I have the video downloaded, but I have no idea how to post it on here. If anyone can help i would appreciate it.

Thanks.

ESK

(by the way, I have an IRS rant coming when I get my morning work out of the way)

EDIT: I figured it out but will have to wait til I get home to do it as I need to DL a program that I don't want at the office. If anyone has any objections to me displaying the Tyler Hirsch video, leave me a note and I will consider it. Basically it's a short clip of Tyler taking a penalty shot with no goalie, crashing into the net and then laying his stick at center ice. Some at USCHO are freaking out about it, but I think it's notable, especially for WCHA fans.

Tyler Hirsch, a Gopher breakdown

EDIT: For all other Gopher fans like Roby who have trouble with this internet thing, the download is here.


While it may be shocking, I do have a heart when it comes to Gophers. Tyler Hirsch is a heck of a hockey player that seemed to lose it at the end of the game after Friday's 3-0 loss to CC. I am currently scowering the net for the video and when I get it will use my discretion as to wether or not it is suitable to post. To me it sounds kind of like a funny temper tantrum, but the comments of Gopher head coach Lucia make it seem somewhat more serious. We hope not.

After the game, Tyler Hirsch appeared to act out some ritual to exorcise the lack of scoring that plagued his Gopher teammates after Friday's 3-0 loss to the Tigers. It was the first shutout against Minnesota in 82 games, dating back to a 4-0 loss to Maine on Oct 10, 2003.

Standing at center ice after the teams had left for the locker rooms, Hirsch motioned to the maintenance crew to shut the Zamboni doors. He obtained a puck and skated in on the empty net, taking a slapshot from 10 feet and then driving the net into the boards with his body.

He skated to center ice, laid his stick down and went to the locker room.

"It was bizarre — let's leave it at that," said Minnesota coach Don Lucia.

Needless to say, the college hockey community is abuzz, and the thread at USCHO is extremely busy and very protective of the young man.

Updates to follow because I am fascinated by this story.

Best Brewer blog post...

over at Baseball Musings (just a great single subject site)

Corey Hart has the most AB in the Brewers camp this spring, and is putting up a respectable .378 OBA with no power. I hope he makes the big league club this year so I see him wear his sunglasses at night.


There is no way that joke gets old, just ask my buddy Mick (hey Mickey you're so fine) about once great 80's songs referencing your name...never gets stale.

By the way, I just did a spell check and realized that "blog" is not in blogger.com's spell check program.

Bruce Pearl: Used Car Salesman?

There is quite an article in the Chicago Sun Times about the Bruce Pearl/Jimmy Collins incident. While it comes from the side of Illinois, it does seem to be the most in-depth and detailed account of the entire situation. The story paints Pearl as the slimy underhanded assistant who is willing to do anything to move up in the coaching stratosphere. Basically, from everything I have heard, this is pretty accurate. He was a smooth talking yes man when he was an assistant and is a charismatic slickster as a head coach. The young man over whom all the ruckus was over is named Deon Thomas. He was leaning towards Pearl's Iowa program, but the overzealous and shady Pearl made his grandmother wary, and Thomas decided on Illinois.

"It was an intense time,'' recalled Thomas, now playing on a European
championship team in Israel. "He [Pearl] was a pest, but not the only one. I
tried to blow him off. I liked Iowa. They made a lot of interesting offers to a
kid from the ghetto who had nothing.''
But Thomas' grandmother told him:
"Deon, I don't trust him. I don't know him, but I don't like his eyes.''
"If she says I'm not going [to Iowa], I'm not going,'' Thomas said.
When Thomas informed Pearl of his decision to attend Illinois, Pearl went ballistic. He had an inkling about the turnabout because he had been paying Thomas' closest
friend, Renaldo Kyles, to report every move. He was aware that Illinois had
closed the gap and Thomas had changed his mind. Earlier, Pearl had committed
an unpardonable sin by skirting Hambric's policy and attempting to obtain a
transcript when Hambric and Thomas were on a basketball trip to Europe. Davis
apologized for his overzealous assistant's indiscretion, but the die was cast.
"Pearl was trying to help himself and do a job for his coach,'' said
Hambric, who retired after the 2003-04 season. "It proved my point about what I
tried to teach my players about people, that you can't trust them just because
they are nice to you. Don't be so quick to label them as friends. They are like
lawyers and used-car salesmen.''

Pearl was so pissd it seems he just wanted to get back at those who outdid him in the recruiting process.

Later, Pearl taped a two-minute telephone conversation with Thomas and handed
the evidence to the NCAA, prompting an investigation. In the tape, made without
Thomas' knowledge, it was alleged that Thomas confirmed he was offered $80,000
and a Chevrolet Blazer to sign with Illinois. Thomas denied the allegation.
"Pearl asked me, 'Deon, I heard you got $80,000 and a Blazer from
Illinois,''' Thomas recounted. "I said, 'Where did you hear that?' Pearl's
response was, 'I heard it through the grapevine.' My response was, 'Yeah, OK.'
That was it.'' He said he was "completely shocked'' when he later was
requested to attend a meeting with NCAA officials in Chicago and learned about
the tape. "I knew I had been set up,'' Thomas said.
In an exclusive interview with the Sun-Times "because I want to clear my name,'' Thomas claimed that Pearl had offered to "double any offer you get from any other school'' to sign with Iowa. Thomas insisted Illinois didn't many any illegal offers.
Thomas also claimed Pearl showed up in Amsterdam while the Simeon team was
participating in an international tournament. He said Pearl gave him $100, drove
him and three teammates around town in a rented car and paid for their lunch.
Pearl denied the allegation.

I don't expect there to be a sister story in the Urinal telling Pearl's side of the story, as much because I believe much of this story, and I doubt Pearl has a lot to say to counter the whole thing.

Here is the "historical" account of what transpired. Really a fascinating read.

Here is Pearl's memo to the NCAA. (hat tip for both to Jotsheet)

This Pearl story is threatening to become the "big story" of the week, getting play in the Sports Blogosphere (wonderful roundup from the Illini point of view here: "Bruce Pearl: Get ready rat because the Illini are comin' and even in the WaPo. The only interesting thing about the article is a quote from Dick Vitale, a man whom I respect a great deal.

Pearl, meantime, became the target of a backlash. ESPN's Dick Vitale told a
national television audience at the time that Pearl had committed "coaching
suicide" and the act of tape recording the conversation was "totally unethical."

That is a question I have been pondering all weekend, and it seems like everybody agrees with my stance; Bruce Pearl must be a basketball pariah. The man set up a recruit to incriminate a rival school that out recruited him. He was a snitch on the worst level, manufacturing crimes to take down his rivals. I agree with Dicky V, this is a super scintillating sensationall stupid and shady move. (Okay, so I paraphrased a bit, but come on! it's hoops baby!)

Jay Mariotti also got in on the Pearl story, with his usual long winded effort making it sound like Pearl's motives were to personally upset Jay Mariotti (is there a bigger ego in sports reporting?)

In a glorified airplane hangar between Champaign and Milwaukee, America's
No. 1 team has a chance to rub out a pariah.
If Pearl was blackballed in the profession, as Dick Vitale and others said
at the time, he has lingered nearby like a ghost. He toiled at Division II
Southern Indiana for nine years, but proved he could recruit and coach by
winning a national title in 1995. UWM, Weber's alma mater, took a chance on his
frenetic personality three years ago. He has produced three consecutive 20-win
seasons and two NCAA appearances. To date, he hasn't told his players about his
role in the Illinois controversy and how it may have detoured his career. "I
don't know if I've shared that story,'' Pearl told reporters, "because I want
them to play for their story.'' They'll be hearing it anyway.

More stories here from St. Louis (Bruce Weber is a UW-M alum, wow), SI blurbs it, ESPN will no doubt have a fuzzy filtered ten minute Spors Center segment by Thursday, and probably d oan entire outside the lines show on it as well. Here is their prelim article.

Loren Tate, a columnist at the Champaign News-Gazette for 39 years, was asked
what the reception will be like for Pearl in Chicago.
"The most horrible you've ever seen," Tate said. "It will be beyond your wildest imagination. The players don't care. The coaches don't care. But (the Illinois fans) are the ones who are still pissed. "You will never hear so many boos in your life. It's
going to get really personal. That's the ugly part of it."It sounds like
boos when Illinois fans yell "Bruuuuuuce" as coach Bruce Weber is introduced
before games. When the other Bruce is introduced Thursday night, those really
will be boos.It won't come as a shock to Pearl. He's already endured death
threats, hate mail and condemnation in some coaching corners. Some say he broke
the coaches' code, which stipulates that you don't drop a dime on a peer.

I would boo him too, and I want them to win. I want to like UW-M, but come on this guy is a sleaze ball.

I am constantly editing this as I find more, so bear with the herky jerky nature of it.

Here is a message board at Illiniboard.com. Funny funny stuff.

Righting Wisconsin Updates

As you can probably tell, I've bee doing a lot of screwing around with my blog this fine eve, since getting out of bed was not in the cards today I have been messing with my computer, with my blog, with Firefox, and even with Thunderbird, which I already love. Fantastic way to keep all the RSS feeds and various email accounts I have at the tip of my fingers.

I also tried out audioblogger, pretty cool but not something I envision myself using very often. Perhaps there will be a drunk dial or two, that would be fun for all of us. Basically I figured it might be cool to have when I am down in Scottsdale and Denver for the next few weeks, as I usually bump into a D-List celebrity and will be knowcking around the Cactus League circles for a few days.

CBS News, yet another attack on the 2nd Ammendment

I'm sitting here trying to forget about the terrible defensive effort of Sir Charles and decided to watch CBS news, as opposed to going to Rascal's and endure endless mocking for my love of UConn from my friends. Well, it turns out the lead story is a thinly veiled attack on the right to bear arms, and the ability to buy weapons at gun shows.

If the power of the .50-caliber rifle amazed Krasniqi, what amazed him even more was how easy it was to buy. Krasniqi allowed a Dutch documentary film crew to accompany him to a gun store in Pennsylvania.

"You just have to have a credit card and clear record, and you can go buy as many as you want. No questions asked," says Krasniqi.

Was he surprised at how easy it was to get it? "Not just me. Most of non-Americans were surprised at how easy it is to get a gun in heartland America," says Krasniqi. "Most of the dealers in Montana and Wyoming don’t even ask you a question. It’s just like a grocery store."

And, he says there are a variety of choices for ammunition, which is easy to get as well. "Armor-piercing bullets, tracing bullets," says Krasniqi. "[Ammunition] is easier than the rifles themselves. For the ammunition, you don't have to show a driver’s license or anything."

"You can just go into a gun show or a gun store in this country and buy a shell that will pierce armor? A civilian," asks Bradley.

"You never did that? You’re an American. You can go to the shows and see for yourself," says Krasniqi. "Ask the experts. They’ll be happy to help you."

In addition to watching leftist schlock, I am fiddling with Firefox, and have also decided to give Thunderbird a run (not the fortified wine, but boy do I have some Thunderbird stories!) I have finally gotten Firefox working properly and am adding and subtracting extension to see what I like. If you have any extensions or add-ons you use and like, let me know and I'll give it a shot. I am really starting to love Firefox.

At 7 oclock (right now) Sundance is running what it is calling "Occupation Iraq" a series of three films (Uncovered, Control Room, and Osama). I will not judge but I am recording them and will watch them either tonight or in the coming days. Expect a scathing review.

Now back to sulking over the UConn loss...for shame Mr. Villenueva, for shame.

What a terrible day

Well, St. Pats and March Madness has sure taken its toll, consuming most of my time, energy and attention. My tears have subsided and I have channeled those despondent emotions into sheer rage at Charlie Villanueva for quitting in the last ten minutes and that idiot ref who allowed an obvious push off Williams and opened up UNC-State's freshman for three with a minute left. All I can say is that Charlie pulled a Kessel. (yes, I will get that into Wisconsin vernacular).

In addition, this morning we learned that Wisconsin hockey got a three seed and will be playing Michigan in Grand Rapids on Friday night.

Last night I had the opportunity to go watch the UWM Panthers dismantle BC (what is going on with the Big East??) at the Gasthaus in UWM's Union. Surprisingly, Barret showed up for the last three minutes to get a little face time and mug for the cameras. What a crock. When I loudly asked him his stance on vote fraud now that we can "show him some names" his lackey glared at me and they shifted positions for his interview...no response. He does look like a goof without his moustache though.

Next year UConn is going undefeated, and Rudy Gay will be the player of the year, rack it.