WH Burney

Good news, everyone

2006-08-23T01:44:00.000-05:00

Antonio Pizzonia is back in a Rocketsports car at Montreal. Everyone knows how sorry that team has been since he last raced for them - and how sorry it has been for the past two years. If 2007 rolls around and Pizzonia is not racing in Champ Car, my brain will literally explode. Have you seen Jim Kramer on Mad Money? I would have higher blood pressure than Kramer after doing four lines of coke, a lot of crystal meth [I am pretty glad I am not familiar with the dosage on that one], and PCP. That is how crazed I will be. Well, at least in relative terms, so I will probably shake my fist.

the alphabet

2006-08-23T00:41:00.000-05:00

A - AVALIABLE:
Yes

B - BIRTHDAY:
23 June

C -CRUSH:
my opposition? I'd be glad to

D - DAD'S NAME:
Philip

E - EASIEST PEOPLE YOU CAN GO TALK TO:
my homeboyz

F - FAVORITE RAPPER:
I got this awesome cheese the other day that has some kind of crazy wax paper wrapper.

G- GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS:
how about something that tastes good

H - HOMETOWN:
Springfield TN

I - INSTRUMENT:
guitar, ukulele

J- JUGGLE:
it's a long story but no

K- KILLED SOMEONE:
Well, I think I helped to break Russ's tenuous hold on sanity, so if he ever kills, I may be at least partially responsible

L - LOVE:
is a many splendoured thing

M - MILKSHAKE FLAVOR:
milk

N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS:
2

O - ONE WISH:
a pony!

P - PERSON WHO CALLED YOU LAST:
in the upset of the decade . . . Mark

Q - QUESTION YOU'D ASK A COMPLETE STRANGER:
what is your name

R - REASON TO SMILE:
I got plenty

S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD:
Thorazine Shuffle by Gov't Mule

T - TIME YOU WOKE UP:
10:30

U - UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME:
Im really not white [gonna keep that one from the last dude]

V - VEGETABLE YOU HATE:
brussel sprouts actively stink

W - WORST HABIT
chewing my nails

X - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD:
ankles and a few of the chest

Y - NUMBER OF FRIENDS ON MYSPACE:
54

Z-ZODIAC SIGN
Cancer

Wes and his brief stardom aka thank you Loden Vision Centers

2006-08-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

I appeared on Norm Partin's radio show briefly today. Interestingly enough, Norm was not there this evening - he left early for Bristol. I like to think I was the key guest of the evening. I was such a good guest, I opened my appearance with a question of my own: "Is this driver from Kentucky?" That's efficiency. After the co-host and substitute, Russ Thompson and Matt Yocum, confirmed that I was correct with noises that signalled that they appreciated my awesomeness. I promptly hit 'em with a "Is this driver Jeff Green?"

BAM. Contest over. Those golf passes are MINE - or, rather, Mark's. Cause I don't golf. That's not how I roll.

In my moment of glory, I want to send a shoutout to my homeboys. Dangerous Dan, Diamond Dutchman, reanimated corpse of Col. Sanders, I couldn't have done it without you. Except I did, cause I am that awesome.

Speaking of the Dutchman, you are right - I want everyone to know I am listening to Jim Elrod right now. Actually, I'm not, because Nickel Creek is still going. After all, it's only been like seven minutes since I posted the name thing. But I plan on listening to Jim's new songs before I do another post.

And you should too.

http://www.myspace.com/jimelrod

New post, cross-posted with MySpace

2006-08-18T20:22:00.001-05:00

So I'm going to be overly ambitious and start using a FOURTH blog - now on MySpace. I think I will cross-post this one with the personal blogspot.

I'm going off the smoke for a little while, starting either tonight or tomorrow. Basically I need my throat in top form because now is the time to get recording. I have a few tunes worked up that need that Chester touch.

So it's been two years since Grandpa Burney died. I should probably have more to say about that but I don't.

Motoko has been on the warpath the past few days. I think I have a mouse in my room because she spends approximately twenty minutes every night destroying everything in a mad rush to murder.

I'm going to start stealing from Josh "Livestock" Boruff and Tom "Moof" Davies and include some chat logs.

Dan: this movie is extremely gay
westopherburney: well that is what you get for renting Brokebutt Mountain, the gay porn version of Brokeback Mountain

Crap, that sucked. I guess Aderholdt still rules the domain of comedy.

OK here is another one:

Dan: so i heard lance bass is gay
Dan: im a lil to exctied

I want to do a podcast enclosure, but I don't know how or even why, so maybe next time, or probably not.

PS Since the MySpace thing doesn't want to work, I am listening to Waylon Jennings' Honky Tonk Heroes album.

Semisonic

2006-07-03T02:18:00.000-05:00

Call me a moron, but I really like Feeling Strangely Fine.

And Closing Time.

Voice actors

2006-07-02T02:51:00.000-05:00

Maurice LaMarche

Frank Welker

Billy J. West

Tress MacNeille

John DiMaggio

Phil LaMarr

Dan Castallaneta

Not so gainfully employed

2006-06-29T14:59:00.000-05:00

Man I have not updated here in a while. Still working on the job search post-sales failure.

Gainfully employed

2006-06-02T17:42:00.000-05:00

I'm now working in direct marketing for the firm reflected in the link. Or, at least, I will be, come Monday.

Blimey

2006-05-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

Since 21 April I have written 55 pages of term papers.

IRL/CCWS Merger Pt 1

2006-04-21T15:53:00.000-05:00

There have been rumblings recently about a possible merger of the Champ Car World Series and the Indy Racing League. I'd like to explore some of the assets of a possible new open wheel series.

Currently the IRL has fourteen races at fourteen tracks:
Homestead 1.5 mile oval
St. Petersburg 1.806 mile temporary airport
Motegi 1.5 mile oval
Indianapolis 2.5 mile oval
Watkins Glen 3.45 mile natural road course
Texas 1.5 mile oval
Richmond 0.75 mile oval
Kansas 1.5 mile oval
Nashville 1.33 mile oval
Milwaukee 1.0 mile oval
Michigan 2.0 mile oval
Kentucky 1.5 mile oval
Infineon 2.3 mile natural road course
Chicagoland 1.5 mile oval

The Champ Car World Series has 15 scheduled races:
Long Beach 1.968 mile temporary street circuit
Houston 1.7 mile temporary street circuit
Monterrey 2.104 mile temporary street circuit
Milwaukee 1.0 mile oval
Portland 1.967 mile natural terrain road course
Cleveland 2.105 mile temporary airport circuit
Toronto 1.721 mile temporary street circuit
Edmonton 1.973 mile temporary airport circuit
San Jose 1.448 mile temporary street circuit
Denver 1.65 mile temporary street circuit
Montreal 2.701 mile natural road course
Road America 4.048 mile natural road course
Ansan 1.796 mile
Surfer's Paradise 2.796 mile temporary street circuit
Mexico City 2.786 mile natural road course

This leads us to 29 races at 28 tracks. The number of races that keeps getting batted around is 20, although I have heard as many as 26.

Obviously, a few races are virtual locks to be on the schedule. Indianapolis goes without saying. Long Beach is also a guarantee. One would also have to assume that all the races owned or co-owned by Tony George, Kevin Kalkhoven, or Gerald Forsythe would make the cut, so that includes Chicagoland, San Jose, Toronto, and Edmonton, off the top of my head. Sam Jose, however, is vulnerable due to financial difficulties, and Infineon is in the same market. Team co-owner Mike Lanigan of Mi-Jack Conquest promotes Cleveland and Houston. Andretti-Green promotes St. Petersburg. I also believe that Gerald Forsythe is involved in the promotion of the Mexican races. Montreal is vulnerable due to is continued flirtation with NASCAR. As much as I would like to see it stay on the schedule, it is probably simplest to drop it and attempt a return to Vancouver or possibly to race in Quebec City. Michigan and Homestead are poorly attended. Watkins Glen has a chance to keep its race if it upgrades its facilities. This would be a great pickup for the new series. Nashville, while poorly attended, is the headquarters for Bridgestone/Firestone USA. Motegi is the home track of Honda. Surfer's Paradise is important to Kevin Kalkhoven and Team Australia. Ansan will most likely be dropped and buried after South Korea's likely third failure in a row to actually produce a circuit. If this race actually happens it would have to be wildly successful to be retained. Oval successes include Kansas, Kentucky, Richmond, and Texas. Milwaukee will probably also be retained and hopefully attendance will go up. Road America will probably make the schedule. The fate of Portland is most likely up in the air. Denver is probably safe.

Thus the following races [not in order]:
1. Long Beach
2. St. Petersburg
3. Road America
4. Nashville
5. Kentucky
6. Kansas
7. Chicagoland
8. Milwaukee
9. Long Beach
10. Cleveland
11. Watkins Glen
12. Infineon
13. Mexico City
14. Monterrey
15. Edmonton
16. Toronto
17. Australia
18. Texas
19. Houston
20. Denver
21. Richmond
22. Indianapolis
23. Motegi

Photos

2006-04-21T04:48:00.000-05:00

Come to my Facebook photo album and check it out.

Yes. Yes I am.

2006-04-16T01:04:00.000-05:00

English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 86% Advanced, and 100% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 68% on Beginner
You scored higher than 44% on Intermediate
You scored higher than 20% on Advanced
You scored higher than 94% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Historiography part 1

2006-04-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

NOTE: This is rather disjointed. If anything is too blunt or gruesome in terminology it is because I am writing whilst taking notes.

One of my professors, who believe it or not is a conservative, just tried to explain to us the difference between the US and Germany through popular film. He declares that the Western is the quintessential American film and uses specifically John Wayne's Stagecoach. Here is a typical American Western:
Boy meets girl
Boy falls for girl
Outside difficulties [bandits, corrupt government, etc] cause a separation
Bad guy[s] threatens girl
Boy, by himself or with a few friends organized as a posse, defeat a large group of bad guys

Here is a German film:
Individualist boy meets girl
Boy will not join organization ie Hitler Youth
Boy falls for girl
Evil individual [Jew or Slav] cause a separation
Evil individual threatens girl
Boy joins organization who all overwhelm the single villain and beat the hell out of him

For example watch Triumph of the Will. It was originally banned in the US for fear that it would influence Americans as much as it did Germans. People were actually moved by this film in Germany. Even in the depths of the depression most Americans found the film disgusting and disturbing. I had to watch a bit of it in foreign film class and I can see how it would be effective but not to Anglos.

I've probably been over this before but I'm a big believer that the English & Scottish tradition of individuality has permeated US culture. Democracy as we know it is based on the English tradition that started with the Magna Carta. In fact I would omit much of the post Reformation history of Europe ie France, Germany, Italy. I think they are as much a separate culture from the modern Western tradition as a tribe that has never met modern man lost somewhere in Kansas. This focus on the individual predated the advent of Protestantism - ie the Magna Carta, the strength of Parliament. England has deposed kings without shedding a drop of blood. Oliver Cromwell is generally reviled as a villain to us - he would be a hero to others. France celebrates a bloody revolution that killed a king. In the United States, our national holiday is the signing of a document. In France the national holiday is the storming of the Bastille, which contained all of SEVEN PRISONERS - four counterfeiters, two madmen, and a young aristocrat who had displeased his father. The commander of the garrison surrendered peacefully and was promptly stabbed to death, as were several of his guards. This event is not the triumph of reason over tyranny; rather, the triumph of proletarian madness and vengeance. America has several bloody dates we could celebrate - 8 January, for example, when the forces of General Andrew Jackson destroyed the British army who had just beaten Napoleon. We could celebrate the battles of the Mexican War or the Spanish American War but instead we celebrate as Veteran's Day the Armistice of WWI.

The dominant theme of English and American history is a progressive movement towards liberty. The triumph of the individual over the state. While the twentieth century has seen some of this rolled back [ie FDR, LBJ, British socialism of the 1960s and 70s, Nixon and Reagan's drug war, the wartime restriction of civil liberties by Wilson, FDR, Bush & Blair, and the oppressive regime of Janet Reno at the Justice Department] most of them have demonstrated a transient nature - for example, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush the Younger have all restricted or attempted to restrict the 'welfare state' developed by FDR and LBJ. The great political leaders of our history, such as Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, have exceeded the bounds of their office for the benefit of the nation - and we continue to criticize them for it. While we acknowledge their greatness, we object to some of their methodology.

There are many things that differentiate the culture of the West as a whole from the East. Self-criticism is a part of our culture. We have no absolute heroes. We analyze our history to attempt to learn from it - and we do. Our mistakes tend to come not from failing to apply the lessons of the past but rather from improper application. Hitler's Russian campaign was obviously misguided - Napoleon failed too. However, they failed for a lot of the same reasons, but a lot of different ones. Hitler exceeded his supply lines and bogged down in a single major siege. Napoleon had lost many of his men prior to any major battles. Winter and disease played a role in both losses but the campaigns were dissimilar [not as dissimilar as Iraq and Vietnam, mind you - more like Korea vs Vietnam]. Non-Western societies seem to lack this critical thinking over time - after all, the role of the individual is not important.

It is time that American historical and political thought recognized the role of English thought rather than European thought. We are as dissimilar from the French as we are from the Indonesians - or perhaps less so. An alliance of the Anglosphere - and by this I do not simply mean English speaking nations - I include Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and India, among others - nations with democratic government - usually Parliamentiary, with liberal economic policies [not LBJ liberal but Alexander Hamilton liberal.]

I know this is not good organization but let me bring up another point. We study the horrors of African slavery in America and the Indian holocaust in American history - any typical survey class. I don't wish to gloss over these evils. We can also mention the racism in South Africa, the racism in Ireland, et cetera. There are certainly atrocities in the Filipino occupation. There are many others. However, there is no real institutional genocide, and attempts have been made as the Anglosphere culture to redress these mistakes.

One needs not to mention the Jewish Holocaust of Germany. However, in Soviet Russia, ethnic groups were purged and manipulated. During the French Revolution, huge numbers of anti-revolutionary peasants were cleansed in Western France.

Thanks to the English institution of Parliament and its restrictions on the monarchy we have our concept of politics and freedom. Sorry again for the disorganization, any harshness in tone is due to distraction. Hope to hear your thoughts.

Animated series

2006-03-22T04:20:00.000-06:00

Top five:
1. Futurama
2. South Park
3. Simpsons
4. Family Guy
5. King Of The Hill

Thusrday night

2006-03-18T14:17:00.000-06:00

Sumit and Mark got to come up on Thursday night. We drank a lot of beer. Sumit stepped up the plate and brought a shitton from Chattanooga and Mark and I were able to give him his care package. Ashley and Noah were able to come by for short periods of time. Over the course of the day and evening, we watched some History Channel, Aqua Teen, Monk, Futurama, and Mr. Show. I think a good time was had by all.

Except the kitty.

Blog stuffs

2006-02-04T16:06:00.000-06:00

You scored as Strong Egoism. Your life is very much guided by the concept of Egoism: You work primarily to promote your own interests.

"I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."

"I am not primarily an advocate of capitalism, but of egoism; and I am not primarily an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows."

--Ayn Rand

More info at Arocoun's Wikipedia User Page...

Strong Egoism

85%

Justice (Fairness)

80%

Existentialism

75%

Hedonism

60%

Utilitarianism

45%

Kantianism

40%

Apathy

20%

Divine Command

15%

Nihilism

10%

What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03)
created with QuizFarm.com

Your Political Profile

Overall: 65% Conservative, 35% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Updates, updates, everywhere

2006-02-03T18:52:00.000-06:00

Still banned by the Howses. Nothing really has changed on that front, haven't had any contact with them except a note Vickie brought by. I'm not sure how much of the note I believe. I guess now I mostly feel relieved that some explanation was made. I'm almost glad to be done with them.

Started up to WKU. Classes are going.

Guess who's NOT coming to dinner

2006-01-04T03:28:00.000-06:00

I've been banned from the Howses, and I'm not sure why. Brian returned all the stuff I ever gave him tonight for some reason. Weird. I'm mad and sad at the same time. It's a fucking bummer.

Barley sodas

2005-12-28T04:20:00.000-06:00

Abita Amber
Abita Bock
Abita Fleur-de-lis Restoration Ale

Abita Light

Abita Purple Haze

Abita Red Ale

Abita Turbodog

Amstel Light

Anchor Liberty Ale

Anchor Porter

Anchor Steam

Anchor Summer Beer

Anheuser World Select

Aspen Edge

Bass

Beck's

Beck's Dark Lager

Beck's Premier Light

Beck's Oktoberfest

Belhaven Scottish Ale

Blackstone Chaser Pale

Blackstone Nut Brown

Boddington's Pub Ale

Bohannon Nut Brown Ale

Bohannon Pale Ale

Bohannon Vanilla Creme

Bridgeport Black Strap Stout

Bridgeport ESB

Bridgeport IPA

Bud Dry

Bud Ice

Bud Ice Light

Bud Light

Budweiser

Budweiser Select

Busch

Busch Light

Butte Creek Creekside Wheat

Butte Creek Organic Ale

Butte Creek Organic Pilsener

Butte Creek Organic Porter

Butte Creek Roland Red

Cooper's Original Pale Ale

Coors Original

Coors Light

Corona Extra

Corona Light

Dos Equis

Dos Equis Amber

Flying Dog Dogtoberfest

Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale

Flying Dog Gonzo Dog Imperial Porter

Flying Dog Hellerhound Bock

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

Flying Dog In Heat Wheat

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser

Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber

Flying Dog Road Dog Scottish Porter

Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA

Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

Foster's

Fuller's ESB

Fuller's London Porter

Fuller's London Special Ale

Golden Pheasant

Grolsch

Grolsch Blonde Lager

Guinness Draught

Guinness Extra Stout

Hacker-Schorr Oktoberfest

Harp Lager

Harpoon Ale

Harpoon Hibernian Style Ale

Harpoon IPA

Harpoon Munich Dark

Harpoon Oktoberfest

Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen

Harpoon Winter Warmer

Heather Ale Fraoch Heather Ale

Heather Ale Grozet Gooseberry & Wheat Ale

Heather Ale Kelpie Seaweed Ale

Heineken

Heineken Dark Lager

Hobgoblin Imported English Ale

Hollande 1620

Icehouse

JW Dundee's American Pale Ale

JW Dundee's Honey Brown

Josef Hoffbauer

Keystone Light

Killian's Irish Red

La Trappe Dubbel

La Trappe Tripel

La Trappe Quadrupel

Labatt Blue

Lawson Creek Amber Ale

Lawson Creek Pale Ale

Lawson Creek Vanilla Cream Stout

Left Hand Blackjack Porter

Left Hand Milk Stout

Left Hand Sawtooth Ale

Leinenkugel's Amber Light

Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark Lager

Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss Bier

Leinenkugel's Red Lager

Mackeson Triple Stout

Market Street Pilsner Draft

Michael Shea's Irish Amber

Michelob

Michelob Amber Bock

Michelob Black & Tan

Michelob Hefeweizen

Michelob Honey Lager

Michelob Marzen

Michelob Light

Michelob Pale Ale

Michelob Pumpkin Spiced Ale

Michelob Ultra

Miller 1855 Celebration Lager

Miller Genuine Draft

Miller High Life

Miller High Life Light

Miller Lite

Milwaukee's Best

Milwaukee's Best Ice

Milwaukee's Best Light

Mississippi Mud

Modelo Especial

Molson Canadian

Molson Golden

Molson Ice

Moosehead

Mt. Shasta Extra Pale Ale

Murphy's Irish Red

Murphy's Irish Stout

Natural

Natural Ice

Natural Lite

Negra Modelo

New Glarus Hearty Hop Wisconsin IPA

Newcastle Brown Ale

North Coast ACME California Brown Ale

North Coast Blue Star Great American Wheat Beer

North Coast Red Seal Ale

Old Jock Scottish Ale

Old Milwaukee

Original Flag Porter

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Peroni

Pete's Wicked Ale

Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde

Pyramid Curve Ball Kolsch

Pyramid IPA

Pyramid Pale Ale

Red Dog

Redhook Black Hook

Redhook Blonde

Redhook ESB

Redhook IPA

Redhook Nut Brown Ale

Redhook Sunrye Ale

Redhook Winter Hook

Red Stripe

Rogue American Amber Ale

Rogue Brutal Bitter

Rogue Chipotle Ale

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Rogue FestivAle

Rogue Half-A-Weizen

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Rogue Juniper Berries Pale Ale

Rogue Kells Irish Style Lager

Rogue Mocha Porter

Rogue Morimoto Hazelnut Signature Ale

Rogue Morimoto Soba Signature Ale

Rogue Oregon Golden Ale

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale

Rogue Seahorse Pale Ale

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

Rogue Sharktooth Ale

Rogue Smoke Ale

Rogue St. Rogue Red

Rogue Uber Pilsener

Rogue Yellow Snow Ale

Rogue Younger's Special Bitter

Rolling Rock Extra Pale

Rolling Rock Light

Samuel Adams Black Lager

Samuel Adams Boston Ale

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

Samuel Adams Brown Ale

Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic

Samuel Adams Cream Stout

Samuel Adams Hefeweizen

Samuel Adams Holiday Porter

Samuel Adams Light

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Samuel Adams Pale Ale

Samuel Adams Scotch Ale

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

Samuel Adams White Ale

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Samuel Smith India Ale

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout

Samuel Smith's The Famous Taddy Porter

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome

Sapporo

Schaefer

Shiner 96

Shiner Bock

Shiner Hefeweizen

Shipyard Export Ale

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2003

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2005

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Porter

Sierra Nevada Stout

Sierra Nevada Summer Beer

Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer

Southpaw Light

St Peter's Organic English Ale

Steel Reserve

Stella Artois

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale

Stone Imperial Stout

Stone IPA

Stone Ruination IPA

Stroh's

Tabernash Dunkel Weiss

Tecate

Thomas Creek Red Ale

Tiger Beer

Tsingtao

Tilburg's Dutch Brown Ale

Weihenstephaner Original Lager

Whitbread Pale Ale

Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen

Wittekerke Wit Bier

Xingu

Yazoo Dos Perros Ale

Yazoo Pale Ale

Yazoo Sly Rye Porter

Young's Dirty Dick's Ale

Waiting For A Train by Jimmie Rodgers

2005-12-26T07:11:00.000-06:00

All around the water tank waitin' for a train
A thousand miles away from home sleeping in the rain
I walked up to a brakeman just to give him a line of talk
He said if you've got money I'll see that you don't walk
Well I haven't got a nickel not a penny can I show
He said get off you railroad bum and he slammed the boxcar door
Well he put me off in Texas a place I dearly love
The wide open spaces all around me the moon and stars above
Nobody seems to want me nor to lend me a helping hand
I'm on my way from Frisco headin' back to Dixie Land
My pocketbook is empty my heart is willed with pain
I'm a thousand miles away from home just waitin' for a train

Happy Holidays

2005-12-24T15:13:00.000-06:00

To you and yourn.

What media bias?

2005-12-18T23:38:00.000-06:00

UCLA study here.

Oh,oh-oh! You see, the kids these days, they listen to the rap music, which gives them the brain damage.

2005-12-12T15:14:00.000-06:00

Joey, have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

Beer chemistry

2005-12-09T21:22:00.000-06:00

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051203/bob8.asp/#beer

Bolton on the UN

2005-12-03T19:45:00.000-06:00

Original story here, referral here.

Have you ever heard of . . . Kong?

2005-12-02T23:24:00.000-06:00

Shit, Negro, that's all you had to say!

The four Democrats I like a lot right now

2005-12-02T23:08:00.000-06:00

Lieberman, obviously.

Jose E. Serrano (N.Y.), Robert Wexler (Fla.) and Cynthia McKinney (Ga.).

Not that I'm all that fond of Congressional Republicans at the moment, mind you.

I wish Lieberman stood a snowball's chance in hell of winning the primary.

Signs you're too crazy for your own good

2005-12-02T21:27:00.000-06:00

I had a damn furry as my MySpace pic for about a week. No one said a damn thing.

Lieberman & 'the plan'

2005-11-29T16:18:00.000-06:00

Joe Lieberman believes that we have a working plan in Iraq.

McCain

2005-11-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

He may not know from free speech, but he knows what the GOP has to do.

The party must show "progress in Iraq, we need a comprehensive energy package and we need to stop this profligate spending," he [McCain] warned.

"If the election were tomorrow, we'd be in trouble," agreed Graham, who said the party must work to cut spending.

"If we really want to do well in 2006, we need to have fiscal discipline like Republicans campaigned on," he said. "We have lost our way as a party. Our base is deflated and taxpayers don't see any difference between us and the Democrats."

Pleurisy

2005-11-21T14:10:00.000-06:00

So it's not costochondritis after all. Its pleurisy, so instead of being an inflammation of the rib cartilage, it's an inflammation of the lining of the lungs.

Fucking dandy.

Apparently, I didn't do anything to alleviate or exacerbate the problem here lately. My private medicine helped to relax me and relax the muscles, but only for a short period of time.

Yippie ki yay.

Champions of 2005

2005-11-21T01:59:00.000-06:00

Tony Stewart, 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
5 wins, 17 top fives, 25 top tens, 3 poles, 36 races

Martin Truex, Jr., 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, Chance 2 Racing, NASCAR Busch Series
6 wins, 15 top fives, 22 top tens, 3 poles, 35 races

Ted Musgrave, 1 Mopar Dodge, Jim Smith, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
1 win, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, 1 pole, 25 races

Mark Martin, IROC Series
2 wins, 4 races

Sebastien Bourdais, 1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, Newman-Haas, Champ Car World Series
6 wins, 5 poles, 11 top fives, 12 top tens, 14 races

Dan Wheldon, 26 Jim Beam/Klein Tools Honda/Dallara/Firestone, Andretti-Green, Indy Racing League
6 wins, 12 top fives, 15 top fives, 0 poles, 17 races

Fernando Alonso, Renault, Formula One
7 wins, 16 top fives, 19 top tens, 6 poles, 21 races

Sebastien Loeb, Peugeot, World Rally Championship

GARY GLITTER IS A GODDAMNED PAEDOPHILE

2005-11-20T04:28:00.000-06:00

Well, probably.

If I were human I believe my response would be "go to hell."... If I were human.

2005-11-20T00:47:00.000-06:00

Obviously you're not a golfer.

I wonder what grass tastes like.

2005-11-20T00:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, this is horrible, this idea.

I'M SUCH A HACK

2005-11-20T00:42:00.000-06:00

In order to make me post more often, I'm gonna start ripping off sugarmrpoon.com and doing a nightly double quote. Or try to.

Just to be clear: It is his idea and I am stealing it.

With that out of the way, check this out.

Sarkozy for Pres 07

2005-11-18T01:14:00.000-06:00

Doing well in polls.

DOUBLE QUOTE SPECIAL: "THIS IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGISTS ACTUALLY BELIEVE."

2005-11-18T00:56:00.000-06:00

"You're only doing this because you're a Jeff Gordon fan," Busch was quoted as saying to the officer in the police report, released earlier Thursday in Phoenix.

!@%#$@! Shit.

2005-11-15T09:42:00.000-06:00

Jesus fuck.

FUCKING FINALLY II: THE NEXT GENERATION

2005-11-12T20:49:00.000-06:00

More of this, please.

FUCKING FINALLY

2005-11-11T16:41:00.000-06:00

Don't bother reading it. It won't change anyone's mind; Chimpy McBushhitler is obviously just lying again - his lips are moving!

But goddammit, it finally feels good to have the White House try to do something about historical revisionism.

Excerpts: [emphases (? is that a word?) ALL MINE.

In the four years since September the 11th, the evil that reached our shores has reappeared on other days, in other places — in Mombasa and Casablanca and Riyadh and Jakarta and Istanbul and Madrid and Beslan and Taba and Netanya and Baghdad, and elsewhere. In the past few months, we have seen a new terror offensive with attacks on London and Sharm el-Sheikh, another deadly strike in Bali, and this week, a series of bombings in Amman, Jordan, that killed dozens of innocent Jordanians and their guests.

--------------------------------------------------

Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; and still others, Islamo-fascism. Whatever it's called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment, by terrorism, subversion and insurgency, of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom. These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Hindus and Jews — and against Muslims, themselves, who do not share their radical vision.

-----------------------------------------------

With the greater economic, military and political power they seek, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction; to destroy Israel; to intimidate Europe; to assault the American people; and to blackmail our government into isolation.

Some might be tempted to dismiss these goals as fanatical or extreme. They are fanatical and extreme — but they should not be dismissed. Our enemy is utterly committed. As Zarqawi has vowed, "We will either achieve victory over the human race or we will pass to the eternal life." And the civilized world knows very well that other fanatics in history, from Hitler to Stalin to Pol Pot, consumed whole nations in war and genocide before leaving the stage of history. Evil men, obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience, must be taken very seriously — and we must stop them before their crimes can multiply.

Defeating the militant network is difficult, because it thrives, like a parasite, on the suffering and frustration of others. . . .

---------------------------------------------

The government of Syria must do what the international community has demanded: cooperate fully with the Mehlis investigation and stop trying to intimidate and de-stabilize the Lebanese government. The government of Syria must stop exporting violence and start importing democracy.

--------------------------------------------

Over the years these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence: the Israeli presence on the West Bank, the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, the defeat of the Taliban, or the Crusades of a thousand years ago. In fact, we're not facing a set of grievances that can be soothed and addressed. We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world. No act of ours invited the rage of killers — and no concession, bribe, or act of appeasement would change or limit their plans for murder. On the contrary, they target nations whose behavior they believe they can change through violence. Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never give in, we will never accept anything less than complete victory.

The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the great challenge of our new century. Yet in many ways, this fight resembles the struggle against communism in the last century. Like the ideology of communism, Islamic radicalism is elitist, led by a self-appointed vanguard that presumes to speak for the Muslim masses.

----------------------------------------------------

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy teaches that innocent individuals can be sacrificed to serve a political vision. And this explains their cold-blooded contempt for human life. We have seen it in the murders of Daniel Pearl and Nicholas Berg and Margaret Hassan and many others. In a courtroom in the Netherlands, the killer of Theo Van Gogh turned to the victim's grieving mother and said, "I don't feel your pain ... because I believe you're an infidel." And in spite of this veneer of religious rhetoric, most of the victims claimed by the militants are fellow Muslims.

---------------------------------------------------------

These militants are not just the enemies of America or the enemies of Iraq, they are the enemies of Islam and they are the enemies of humanity. And we have seen this kind of shameless cruelty before — in the heartless zealotry that led to the gulags, the Cultural Revolution, and the killing fields.

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy pursues totalitarian aims. Its leaders pretend to be an aggrieved party, representing the powerless against imperial enemies. In truth, they have endless ambitions of imperial domination — and they wish to make everyone powerless, except themselves. Under their rule, they have banned books, and desecrated historical monuments, and brutalized women. They seek to end dissent in every form, to control every aspect of life, to rule the soul itself. While promising a future of justice and holiness, the terrorists are preparing a future of oppression and misery.

Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy is dismissive of free peoples — claiming that men and women who live in liberty are weak and decadent. . . .

It is courage that liberated more than 50 million people from tyranny. It is courage that keeps an untiring vigil against the enemies of rising democracies. And it is courage in the cause of freedom that will once again destroy the enemies of freedom.

And Islamic radicalism, like the ideology of communism, contains inherent contradictions that doom it to failure. By fearing freedom — by distrusting human creativity and punishing change and limiting the contributions of half a population — this ideology undermines the very qualities that make human progress possible, and human societies successful. . . . Those who despise freedom and progress have condemned themselves to isolation and decline and collapse. Because free peoples believe in the future, free peoples will own the future.

------------------------------------------------

(N)o fair-minded person should ignore, deny, or dismiss the achievements of the Iraqi people. (Applause.)

And our debate at home must also be fair-minded. One of the hallmarks of a free society and what makes our country strong is that our political leaders can discuss their differences openly, even in times of war. When I made the decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power, Congress approved it with strong bipartisan support. I also recognize that some of our fellow citizens and elected officials didn't support the liberation of Iraq. And that is their right, and I respect it. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I accept the responsibilities, and the criticisms, and the consequences that come with such a solemn decision.

While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. (Applause.) Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs.

They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. And many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: "When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security." That's why more than a hundred Democrats in the House and the Senate — who had access to the same intelligence — voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power. (Applause.)

The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges.

-------------------------------------------------

If the peoples of that region are permitted to choose their own destiny, and advance by their own energy and participation of free men and women, then the extremists will be marginalized, and the flow of violent radicalism to the rest of the world will slow and eventually end. By standing for hope and freedom of others, we make our own freedom more secure.

-------------------------------------------------

Throughout history, tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision — and they end up alienating decent people across the globe. Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that regimented societies are strong and pure — until those societies collapse in corruption and decay. Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that free men and women are weak and decadent — until the day that free men and women defeat them.

We don't know the course of our own struggle will take, or the sacrifices that might lie ahead. We do know, however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice, we do know the love of freedom is the mightiest force of history, and we do know the cause of freedom will once again prevail.

Neolibertarianism

2005-11-11T03:33:00.000-06:00

Well, there you go.

Humour?

2005-11-11T03:08:00.000-06:00

Here's a joke that isn't so much a joke or even funny.

Ted and I noticed that virtually all advertisements for musicians [i.e., Bassist needed] includes the phrase "no attitudes."

How about a band called "Pickers With Attitude" for all the assholes no one wants to play with?

Guitarist: "This one is called 'Sweet Georgia Brown' and if you don't like it, you can kiss my ass."

Sometimes I wish I could get over the Enlightenment

2005-11-11T03:07:00.000-06:00

So What the fuck is Deism?

Yay! New media post

2005-11-11T02:46:00.000-06:00

Well, since I should be writing a take home essay or book review right now, instead, I will write about some new and returning shows. I love procrastination!

12 oz Mouse
Well, I'm still not sold one way or another on this one. I can't make any sense of it, but then again, Perfect Hair Forever made no sense. I think I like this show, but I dunno. This was not worth cancelling Sealab.

Squidbillies
It's growing on me. As long as they don't cancel Aqua Teen to make this full time.

That 70s Show
Dunno yet about the new guy and girl, or if they are even the new guy and girl. Don't like the new intro. Do like Chong back.

South Park
This half of season nine has been one of the best yet. I love the Butters suicide episode. One of the new favorites.

Family Guy
2005 has been Seth MacFarlane's best year yet.

Two weeks

2005-11-11T02:44:00.000-06:00

Two races left in the Chase.

Final predictions, for after Homestead:

1. Tony Stewart
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Mark Martin
5. Matt Kenseth
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Ryan Newman
8. Kurt Busch
9. Rusty Wallace
10. Jeremy Mayfield

Truex to win Busch. Musgrave to win Trucks.

Denny Hamlin will win a Nextel Cup race by May 2006 if not sooner.

Carl Edwards will win a Nextel Cup championship by 2007 if not sooner.

Your woman's up in bed with Panama Red.

Untitled

2005-11-10T00:11:00.000-06:00

Please read.

CARL EDWARDS

2005-11-07T04:18:00.000-06:00

CARL
EDWARDS

What Family Guy character am I be?

2005-11-04T20:29:00.000-06:00

Peter

Which Family Guy Character Are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Jennifer Government

2005-11-04T16:19:00.000-06:00

The return of Wes to the sim nation scene: Westopheria .

Sometimes I forget how goddamn cool I am

2005-11-02T16:30:00.000-06:00

Ross Never Forgets? Yeah, I came up with that.

"Dangerous" Dan? Me, too.

You know what else I invented? The internet. Suck it, Gore.

PS. First dual post on MySpace and Blogspot.

EDIT 1825: See also "The Dutchman " and "Quincy " [admittedly, less influential, but lasting nonetheless.]

Lucy the Daughter of the Devil

2005-10-31T13:22:00.000-06:00

I love this show but it seriously creeps me out. I think it may be because the first time I watched it I was buzzing on cold medicine and I got really confused.

But anyway, I feel like the show was great, but a bit busy. It kind of feels like a twenty two minute show has been packed into twelve minutes. I dunno.

Well I like it.

IQ

2005-10-30T16:18:00.000-06:00

Retook the Tickle Test, scored a 141. That's well within my usual range of 135-145. I was also described as a Complex Intellectual.

Coming soon . . .

2005-10-30T01:59:00.000-06:00

How do we know he didn't invent the thing?

2005-10-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

Transparent aluminum, anyone?

Did you get that thing I sentcha?

2005-10-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry, guys. I don't think I'll be watching the Boondocks. It's not just that I disagree with Aron McGruder, it's just that there's no point if it's not funny. I think it will be behind the Ripping Friends in terms of entertainment value. Just slightly ahead of Ren & Stimpy v 2.0 aka the Spike TV versions.

Living room laptop NASCAR blogging

2005-10-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

Using Charlie's newly purchased P2 Thinkpad in the living room while watching the race.

Little things excite me.

Do what now?

2005-10-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

Hmm.

Goose Island

2005-10-14T19:35:00.000-05:00

Does Goose Island ring any bells?

About the beer list

2005-10-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

The list is going to be continually updated for the next several weeks. If anyone has the old beer list, from Cookeville, I'd be much obliged to you.

South Park Season 6 DVD

2005-10-12T02:26:00.000-05:00

Trey Parker and Matt Stone do mini commentaries, about three minutes, for the DVDs. A solid minute of the commentary for episode 603, Freak Strike, is about the Star Wars Holiday Special and how awesome it is.

14

2005-10-04T01:42:00.000-05:00

Update to a previous post: 14 drivers have now won in the Winston/Nextel Cup, Busch, and Trucks series.

Greg Biffle
Kyle Busch
Carl Edwards
Bobby Hamilton
Kevin Harvick
Kasey Kahne
Bobby Labonte
Terry Labonte
Jamie McMurray
Mark Martin
Steve Park
Ken Schrader
Jimmy Spencer
Tony Stewart

SCOTUS and experience

2005-10-03T19:52:00.000-05:00

Some justices never to have served in a United States/colonial court:

James Wilson 1789-98 Washington [Committee of Detail {drafted Constitution}]
William Paterson 1793-1806 Washington [NJ Attorney General, NJ Governor]
John Marshall 1801-1835 [Chief 1801-35] Adams I [Diplomat, US Sec of State]
Joseph Story 1812-45 Madison [1 term in US House]
Henry Baldwin 1830-44 Jackson
Roger B. Taney 1836-64 [Chief 1836-64] Jackson [former US Attorney General]
John McKinley 1838-52 Van Buren [US Senate from AL]
Benjamin R. Curtis 1851-57 Fillmore
John A. Campbell 1853-61 Pierce [AL House, offered AL SC]
Nathan Clifford 1858-1881 Buchanan [US Attorney General, diplomat]
Noah Swayne 1862-1881 Lincoln [US Attorney from OH]
Salmon P. Chase 1864-73 [Chief 1864-73] Lincoln [Senator, Governor, Sec Treas]
Joseph P. Bradley 1870-1892 Grant
Morrison R. Waite 1874-1888 [Chief 1874-88] Grant [international lawyer, constitutional lawyer]
Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar 1888-93 Cleveland [Senator]
Melville W. Fuller 1888-1910 [Chief 1888-1910] Cleveland
George Shiras, Jr. 1892-1903 Harrison
William H. Moody 1906-1910 T Roosevelt [US Attorney General]
James C. McReynolds 1914-41 Wilson [US Attorney General]
Louis D. Brandeis 1916-39 Wilson [Brandeis Brief]
George Sutherland 1922-38 Harding [US House, US Senator from UT, President, American Bar Association]
Pierce Butler 1923-39 Harding
Charles Evans Hughes 1910-16 Taft [NY Governor, later Chief Justice 1930-41 by Hoover]
Harlan Fiske Stone 1929-46 Coolidge [Chief 41-46 F Roosevelt] [US Attorney General]
Owen J. Roberts 1930-45 Hoover [Philly ADA, investigator of Teapot Dome]
Stanley Reed 1938-57 F Roosevelt [Solicitor General, "10th Justice"]
Felix Frankfurter 1939-62 F Roosevelt [held appointments such as Ass't Sec of Labor]
William O. Douglas 1939-75 F Roosevelt [considered for VP in 44 and 48, Chairman, SEC]
James F. Byrnes 1941-42 F Roosevelt [US Senator from SC, later Sec of State]
Robert H. Jackson 1941-54 F Roosevelt [Solicitor General & US Attorney General]
Harold Burton 1945-58 Truman [Mayor of Cleveland, OH; US Senator from OH]
Tom C. Clark 1949-57 Truman [US Attorney General]
Earl Warren 1953-1969 Eisenhower [Chief 1953-69] [CA Governor]
Byron R. White 1962-1993 Kennedy [US Deputy Attorney General]
Arthur J. Goldberg 1962-65 [Former US Secretary of Labor]
Abe Fortas 1965-69 LB Johnson [studied under Douglas, counsel to WPA, Undersecretary of the Interior, helped get LBJ elected to US Senate]
Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. 1972-87 Nixon [Former President, American Bar Association]

Cooking with pork, ale, fish, soy, peppers, etc.

2005-10-03T19:19:00.000-05:00

Been pan frying smoked sausage the past couple days, based on the Rendezvous appetizer recipe. Yesterday I used about 5 oz of Yazoo Dos Perros Ale and some dry rub. Today I used worcestershire sauce and Montreal seasoning. Both worked out excellently.

Today's Wal-Mart purchases

2005-10-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Truly a mixed bag.

BOITANO

2005-09-30T21:56:00.000-05:00

Two new shows to add to the recommended viewing list: Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage.

My Favorite Music Video

2005-09-30T19:41:00.000-05:00

Music Video Codes By VideoCodeZone.com

Rally and the Dukes

2005-09-30T02:39:00.000-05:00

I don't remember when it was, but my brother and I once discussed WRC becoming a pony/muscle car thing. It's a good idea.

Vanderbilt

2005-09-27T01:47:00.000-05:00

Vanderbilt is essentially #34 in the AP Poll and #30 in the USA Today Poll. Essentially.

Champ Car World Series

2005-09-25T00:40:00.000-05:00

Watching the free trial of Race Director from champcar.ws. Excellent broadcast. Got to hear Paul Tracy say "I'm fuckin' hurt!" on the radio. Got to see his owner, Gerald Forsythe, say to Carl Haas, "It's the second goddamn time!"

Anyway, I got to looking at the rule book. Champ Car has as an IP network for telemetry. Required:

Pentium 1 GHz or better
256 MB RAM [512 recommended]
300 MB of available HD space
800x600 monitor resolution [1024x768 recommended]
Windows 2000 or later with latest updates and .NET framework [XP Pro recommended]
Network adapter with a RJ-45 connector
CD-ROM

Family Guy DVDs

2005-09-21T15:34:00.000-05:00

Update here.

Reinvent the wheel, eh?

2005-09-21T02:01:00.000-05:00

How bout reinventing the screw?

Referenced and referring posts.

TV Premieres

2005-09-20T18:39:00.000-05:00

American Dad (Fox) Sept. 11
Family Guy (Fox) Sept. 11
Simpsons (Fox) Sept. 11
King of the Hill (Fox) Sept. 18
Arrested Development (Fox) Sept. 19
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) Sept. 20
My Name Is Earl (NBC) Sept. 20
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Sept. 25
Boston Legal (ABC) Sept. 27
The Boondocks Oct. 2
Squidbillies Oct. 16
12oz Mouse Oct. 16
South Park Oct. 19 *NEWS: Now contracted through 2008! [A total of 12 seasons, this being the ninth.]
That 70s Show Nov. 2 [premiered today on FX]
Perfect Hair Forever Nov. 19
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Dec 1. [Thursday?]

Prok II: The Quickening

2005-09-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

Prok blog.

Robot Chicken and Venture Brothers DVDs

2005-09-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

Robot Chicken.

Venture Brothers.

Prok

2005-09-17T16:37:00.000-05:00

Cato has some prok we can cut from the budget here.

Another idea here.

Referring post here.

Call me an asshole below.

September

2005-09-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends

God, I hate September.

It's flat out the worst month of the year for me. For three of the last five years, some major event has happened in my life during this month, and in some cases, the month immediately before, or after.

For example, last August and September, in about a two week span, my grandfather died, my car was wrecked, and Coleman announced he was leaving Cookeville.

In one week of September 2003, a friend of mine that I considered to be rather close - essentially a "friend for life" - told me to go to hell and never talk to her again. Two days later, Johnny Cash was dead.

Of course, September of 2001 saw the terrorist attacks, and over fall break of that year, things just got even better.

Wake me up when September ends

College football polls

2005-09-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

And why they're dumb here.

We need a playoff.

More on Giuliani

2005-09-11T01:15:00.000-05:00

Chicago Sun-Times.

SCOTUS III: Back In Training

2005-09-11T01:10:00.000-05:00

Post on Rehnquist here.

Upsets

2005-09-10T22:35:00.000-05:00

#20 Notre Dame 17, #3 Michigan 10
UR Iowa State 23, #8 Iowa 3
UR Vanderbilt 28, UR Arkansas 24
UR SMU 21, #22 Texas Christian 10

Katrina and 08

2005-09-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Earlier, I jokingly referred to a Schwartzeneggar 08 campaign. The key word is "jokingly." The necessary amendment simply will not pass in time. He has a much better chance of landing an appointment in the Giuliani administration.

That's right. As of right now, I predict Rudy will win.

#1. Most polls show Rudy G. leading right now. While it is a bit early, no other serious candidate appears primed to move for the GOP. McCain will be too old and despite the love of the media, the blogosphere is so down on him, he might as well remain in the Senate.

Not to mention the track record of Senators running for office.

#2. Bush's appointments to the Supreme Court will be about as much as the GOP can get on Roe v Wade. I don't think abortion is going to matter that much in this debate. Dole was nominated in 96 despite himself. Rudy has some of the same liabilities, but also more strengths.

#3. The GOP can win simply by denying the Democrats New York - something Rudy can probably do.

#4. Reagan was divorced and re-married. A lot of the country has done the same. Rudy's "love life" can be forgiven.

#5. If Rudy is the point man for the Katrina rebuilding effort, that's pretty much automatically a positive for him. He'll get the points for leadership on 9/11 and Katrina.

I might also mention that I see Barbour of MS being the VP candidate. George Allen will be the other major candidate [last rundown - Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Haley Barbour, Bill Frist, George Allen] but I think RG wins the primaries and then essentially walks in the general election - Hillary is simply too much of a liability in middle America.

SCOTUS II: The Wrath Of Khan

2005-09-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

Roberts for Chief Justice. Not surprised. I had figured that Roberts was being groomed as Rehnquist's eventual replacement; the move to have him replace O'Connor was probably primarily intended to gain Roberts experience in the interim between SOC and WHR's leaving the court [we in racing call this "seat time" - i.e., there's no such thing as too much seat time.]

No current comment on the new candidates; might get to that later.

Starships

2005-09-05T20:12:00.000-05:00

I know you all saw this, but once again, here it is.

Structure of the government and relief

2005-09-05T19:42:00.000-05:00

Here's this article. [BTW, the article is a bit . . . overly partisan for my tastes. I doubt Nagin and Blanco tried to exploit the tragedy for political effect. Failure does not equal malice. I would say they are victims of the over-hatred of Bush and the right, but that's just a guess.] [Via Ace of Spades.]

One could argue that if the New Deal and Great Society style centralization of government had continued, the responsibilities of Nagin and Blanco would have been less; one could also argue that a TR, an FDR, or a Clinton probably would have been less likely to go through the process to mobilize relief. One could also argue that Blanco and Nagin would have been more likely to yield power to Clinton.

I would argue that hypotheticals don't matter; Bush probably did as good a job as he was constitutionally allowed to do. Nagin bears responsibility for not taking the disaster as seriously as he possibly could have; the media bears responsibility for crying wolf far too often; Bush can be blamed for concentrating on Homeland Security to the detriment of FEMA, and for, in this case, respecting the rule of law too much - but at the end of the day, even the most powerful President can't do a goddamn hell of a lot against a hurricane.

Well, except for Arnold.

Schwartzeneggar in '08 - he'll kick that hurricane's sorry ass!

EDIT: Here is a quote from another Ace article:

Without doubt, Bush deserves some blame for this. He could have gone on national tv and addressed the country about the coming severity of the storm-- a presidential address underscores the gravity of the situation.

Still, many would have remained behind voluntarily. But some might have fled.

The Bush Administration also might have stepped in and removed authority from a clearly lackadaisical and incomptent state and local government. Sure, they would have caught heat for doing so ("Are you implying the black mayor of New Orleans is incompetent? Are you a racist?"), but people's lives have to be put ahead of politics. The mayor of New Orleans is an incompetent.

TCS Katrina

2005-09-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

TechCentralStation.

Although neither utopian nor dystopian, this epoch will transform the concepts that we rely on to give meaning to our lives

2005-09-02T13:40:00.000-05:00

Instapundit interview with Ray Kurzweil.

Katrina aid

2005-09-02T13:38:00.000-05:00

"Appropriating money is easy; spending it wisely and to good effect is not."

So says Hugh Hewitt.

Something awful

2005-09-01T00:33:00.000-05:00

On the Daily Dirt section, Frolixo asks for help with the following plea:

A toe on my left foot is broken and all black and puffy. I need help. It hurts to walk and I need something to drink badly. Send cases of Bass ale and some pornographic DVDs. Thank you.

The man definitely has his priorities in order.

Katrina

2005-08-31T01:26:00.000-05:00

"We just moved here from Florida to get away from the hurricanes."

I don't want to be a dick, but that's kind of like moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles to escape earthquakes. [Or to be more accurate, moving to the Pacific Northwest from Hawaii to escape volcanoes. That seems a much better analogy. Yes. Yes, that will do nicely.]

Jeff Jarvis asks "an indelicate question." I'm not sure where I fall on this one; at the end of the day, though, it would be better for the national psyche if the city was rebuilt, and I'm sure we will learn something besides "Don't build a goddamn city in a goddamn hole right next to the fucking ocean." I mean, no one says don't rebuild Miami, don't rebuild LA, don't rebuild in Oklahoma after the tornadoes.

Perhaps the city could be slightly relocated? I don't know; I'm not familiar enough with the geography, honestly.

But - even if you disagree with Jarvis - at the end of the day, the question should be asked, sadly. Sometimes we should have debates, even if everyone agrees.

EDIT: I should mention this is not the only city I can think of that was built in a dumbass location. Up until the invention of air conditioning, Washington, D.C., was utterly uninhabitable during the summer. Nothing was done. This is the basis for the congressional summer breaks we still have. Can anyone else think of another dumbass city?

Here I am, rock you like a hurricane

2005-08-30T00:51:00.000-05:00

Granted, Katrina is now a Tropical Storm, and there is little to no chance of the storm causing my death at this point, barring a tornado hitting my house, or a random flood that is high enough to reach me, but then again, I am about to go walk into the storm. Hopefully no 50 MPH winds. Anyway, I'm lit on whiskey, and good beer, and listening to Willie Nelson, and about to listen to Miles Davis. Essentially what I would like to do in my last hours, minus another kind of lit, and another kind of blue.

Antietam

2005-08-29T03:36:00.000-05:00

The Battle of Antietam [September 17, 1862] is the bloodiest day in American history, with 23,000 soldiers dying for both the Confederate and Union armies.

Let's hope Hurricane Katrina does not surpass this toll.

HAPPY HAPPY DRUNKEN POLITICAL RAMBLINGS

2005-08-27T03:16:00.000-05:00

I love you. Wait no what was I saying . . .

Anglosphere politics. Ignore the criticisms. Cause they're WRONG.

SUCK IT TREBEK!!!

But I could offer some rebuttals to the criticisms. Granted, they could probably rebut me, and then it would either get really boring or REALLY SEXY OH YEAH MESA LIKE THAT.

God I love whisky.

Military history of the United States of America [previously the Continental Congress]

2005-08-27T02:31:00.000-05:00

From Wikipedia.

American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
Quasi-War (1798–1801)
First Barbary War (1801–1805)
War of 1812 (1812–1815)
Second Barbary War (1815)
Mexican-American War (1846–1848)
- Bear Flag Revolt (1846)
Nicaragua Naval Battles (1854–1858)
Utah War (1857–1858)
American Civil War (1861–1865)
Occupation of Nicaragua (1867, 1894–1933)
Shinmiyangyo Battle in Korea (1871)
Spanish-American War (1898)
Samoan Civil War (1898–1899)
Philippine-American War (1899–1913)
Boxer Rebellion (1900)
Panamanian Revolution (1903)
Second U.S. occupation of Cuba (1906–1909)
Tampico Affair & Occupation of Veracruz, Mexico (1914)
Invasion of Haiti (1915-1934)
Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924)
Pancho Villa Expedition (1916–1917)
World War I (1917–1918)
- Polar Bear Expedition (Russian Civil War) (1918–1919)
Spanish Civil War (1936–1938)
World War II (1941–1945)
Cold War (1946–1991)
- Korean War (1950–1953)
- Cuban Missile Crisis Oct-Nov 1962
- Vietnam War (1964–1975)
Invasion of Dominican Republic (1965)
Capture of USS Pueblo (1968)
Mayagüez Incident (1975)
Operation Eagle Claw (1980)
Gulf of Sidra Incidents (1981, 1989)
Lebanon Peacekeeping (1982–1984)
Invasion of Grenada (1983)
Libyan Patrol Boats (Jan-Mar 1986)
Operation El Dorado Canyon (15 April 1986)
Operation Earnest Will (1987–1988)
- Operation Prime Chance (1987–1988)
- Operation Praying Mantis (1988)
Operation Golden Pheasant (1988)
USS Vincennes shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 (1988)
Invasion of Panama (1989)
Gulf War (1991)
- Iraqi No-Fly Zones (1991–2003)
- Operation Provide Comfort (1991–1996)
Somali Civil War (1993-1995)
- Battle of Mogadishu (1993)
Operation Uphold Democracy (Haiti) (1994)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (as member of IFOR and SFOR peacekeeping forces, 1995—)
Operation Infinite Reach (strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan, 1998)
Kosovo War (1999)
War on Terrorism (2001—)
- Invasion of Afghanistan (2001—)
  - Iraq War (2003—)
Haiti Rebellion (2004)

WTFWMDBBQ?

2005-08-26T00:32:00.000-05:00

Bekaa Valley?

March 2005.

X

2005-08-24T22:44:00.000-05:00

Happy anniversary! [For another 16 minutes or an hour and 16 minutes, anyway.] Windows 95 was released - you guessed it - 24 August 1995.

The War

2005-08-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

Despite all the changes I've made since March of 2003, one of the fundamental beliefs I've had that has not changed is that the war in Iraq was the right thing to do. I honestly don't know why this hasn't been shaken; I think I was more realistic than most fellow chickenhawks in the lead up to the war; and I think I had other justifications in mind. Perhaps if the Bush/Blair team had utilized the same rationales, the war would not be as unpopular. Who knows?

For example, I have always cited Saddam's support of Palestinian suicide bombings as linkage to the war on terror. I have also maintained that while Saddam had no direct hand in September 11 [something recently disputed by certain other conservatives. I do, however, believe that Saddam and Osama met in the mid to late nineties [directly or indirectly] and that there was a small degree of cooperation. Sorry, no linkage at the moment. I've got to go take a dump directly.

Anyway, over the next few days, I'll offer the evidence and articles that I use for my own justification - not as an attempt at conversion, just to offer some tidbits that the MSM doesn't give out. I look forward to any and all counter-arguments - I don't read too many reasonable ones, since I read mostly libertarian hawk sites [then followed by neocon sites], and the few links I see to lefty blogs are from Little Green Footballs and Tim Blair, who link to the most outrageous Daily Kos and Democratic Underground statements [anti-semitic, vaguely socialistic, conspiratory, wacko stuff]. I suppose I could go read Kos and DU, but, I hardly have enough time to read the blogs I already go to.

Anyway, there's Prague.

Graceland by Paul Simon

2005-08-24T14:27:00.000-05:00

The Mississippi Delta was shining
Like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war
I'm going to Graceland
Graceland
In Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland
My traveling companion is nine years old
He is the child of my first marriage
But I've reason to believe
We both will be received
In Graceland

She comes back to tell me she's gone
As if I didn't know that
As if I didn't know my own bed
As if I'd never noticed
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead
And she said losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow

I'm going to Graceland
Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland

And my traveling companions
Are ghosts and empty sockets
I'm looking at ghosts and empties
But I've reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

There is a girl in New York City
Who calls herself the human trampoline
And sometimes when I'm falling, flying
Or tumbling in turmoil I say
Oh, so this is what she means
She means we're bouncing into Graceland
And I see losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody feels the wind blow

In Graceland, in Graceland
I'm going to Graceland
For reasons I cannot explain
There's some part of me wants to see
Graceland
And I may be obliged to defend
Every love, every ending
Or maybe there's no obligations now
Maybe I've a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

Google Fears

2005-08-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

At the NY Times. Registration may be required later, but it's a good idea.

Military recruitment vs. personnel

2005-08-24T01:21:00.000-05:00

The much bandied-about recruitment failures of the military only tell part of the story. The NY Post tells another, more neglected tale. Use my e-mail and the pw pissant to read.