"Most of us live in blissful ignorance"

I don't know where or when this George Will piece originally appeared, but I transcribe it here from the final page of the 2004 NAS Oceana Air Show program:

Most of us, most of the time, live in blissful ignorance of what a small, elite group of Americans are doing for us night and day. As we speak, all over the globe, American Sailors and Submariners and Aviators are doing something very dangerous. People say, "Well it can't be too dangerous because there are no wrecks." But the reason we don't have more accidents is that these are superb professionals; the fact that they master the dangers does not mean the dangers aren't real.

Right now, somewhere around the world, young men and women are landing naval aircraft on the pitching decks of aircraft carriers - at night! You can't pay people to do that; they do it out of love of country, of adventure, of the challenge. We all benefit from it, and the very fact that we don't have to think about it tells you how superbly they're doing their job - living on the edge of danger so the rest of us not need think about, let alone experience, danger.

Have You Ever?

Da Goddess posted this list of "things to do." Bold items are on my "been there done that" list.

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
Of course, there were only three other people in the pub, and beers only costed a buck, so it's not that impressive a feat.
02. Swam with wild dolphins
JoJo, in the Turks and Caicos.
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
Well, I am married after all
09. Hugged a tree
If you count shinnying up one.
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
Spent a couple days there during a college "study abroad" program
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
During a dive trip in Key Largo.
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
Unintentionally!
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
Saw Clemson defeat Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl.
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
See Number 12 above.
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
Passed out in a hammock in Key Largo and was eaten alive by mosquitos.

21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
It was the Leonids, I think.
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
The Orion Nebula is easy to find and amazing to see.
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
I grew up in Northern Jersey, after all.
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
trying to stay awake while driving late.
35. Held a lamb
As a little kid, on a trip to the Catskill Game Farm
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
Both solar and lunar.

41. Rode on a roller coaster
The Cyclone is still my favorite.
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
After too much imbibing at a NRBQ concert.
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
Every day.
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was extremely drunk
Came home one night to find my brother passed out in the front yard.
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
At one point, it only took a quarter (for baseball cards) to truly satisfy me.
53. Had amazing friends
Amazing for lots of reasons - some better than others.
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
A group of Italian girls at a disco in Genoa
55. Watched wild whales
Off the beach at Cape Hatteras.
56. Stolen a sign
Helped my father take a "Midgett Realty" sign for a practical joke on a friend.
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
Went from Clemson, SC to South Bend, IN in a Winnebago for a football game.
59. Rock climbing
Just once, and then never again.
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice

61. Midnight walk on the beach
In the Carribean, with a "lambada" instructor - wow!
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
At the Hofbrauhaus in Munich.
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
Weight: 155. Max bench: 235. But that was about 10 years ago.
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
Only under extreme duress. At a party, several of us architects were forced to sing "Brick House."
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
Heck, I've even been to an X-Rated drive-in!
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it.

81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
When I got my home computer, I bought a Mac.
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
Paestum, among others.
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
But not since I was about eight.
100. Rode a gondola in Venice

101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an expert
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
In fact, we were married there.
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship

121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
Left Greenville, NC for Norfolk, VA. Good move.
134. - More than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication

141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
With white knuckles, I might add.
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Rode on a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
A Fiat, on the Autostrada between Genoa and Milan.
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Rode a horse
158. Had major surgery
I am taking this one because to a 4th grader any surgery is major.
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet

161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
Twice
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
12th Grade English class. We also read The Brothers Karamazov and Beowolf. What a sadist.

181. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
Ayn Rand
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. - and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
Figure drawing and acrylic painting.
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
I wasn't so thrilled when I figured out exactly what he was trying to communicate, either.
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
Just about every day.
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested

What You Have to Believe If You Believe in Gun Control

That gun safety courses in school only encourage kids to commit violence, but sex education in school doesn't encourage kids to have sex.

That we must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time, and anyone who owns a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.

That the gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, and the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.

That guns are so complex to use that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

That banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, and Chicago cops need guns.

That women are just as intelligent and capable as men, and gunmakers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."

That Massachusetts is safer with bans on guns, which is why Teddy Kennedy has machinegun toting guards.

That most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by, because they can be trusted.

That a woman raped and strangled with her panties is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

That you should give a mugger your wallet, because he doesn't really want to shoot you and he'll let you go, but that you should give him your wallet, because he'll shoot you if you don't.

That Charlton Heston as president of the NRA is a shill who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.

That minimum sentences violate civil rights, unless it's for possessing a gun.

That a woman in a microskirt, perfume, and a Wonderbra, without underwear, is a helpless victim, but someone getting paid $6 an hour to deliver the cash from a fast food place to the bank at the same time every night is, "asking for it." And you won't allow either of them to carry a gun.

That free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self defense only justifies bare hands.

That the ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.

That we should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.

Copyright 1999, 2000 by Michael Z. Williamson.
Permission is granted to copy in part or in total for non-profit purposes, provided due credit is given.

NAS Oceana Air Show - 2004

Six F-14 Tomcats. These planes, soon to be retired, were a crowd favorite. The Blue Angels were grounded in Pensacola, and the Tomcat took up the slack, providing the show's "grand finale."


The Blue Angels weren't there, but they sent one of their Super Hornets for up-close inspection.


We were certainly able to get close enough to the taxiway. From here you could feel the jet blast.


A Tomcat pilot shows his colors following an impressive display of aerobatics and a 600+ MPH low altitude high speed pass.

NAS Oceana Air Show

This weekend is the annualNAS Oceana Air Show, and I have scored VIP tickets to the FedEx hospitality tent! Front row on the tarmac, food and drink, tables and umbrellas, and a preferred parking pass, all free! With a terrific weather forecast, it should be a great time. Pictures to follow next week.

Unfortunately, The Blue Angels, who were scheduled to perform, had to cancel due to hurricane damage at their home base.

Weekend Goings-On

The wife and I spent a long weekend in northern New Jersey visiting her mother and sister. We traveled on Saturday, driving through the wind and rain and listening on the radio as the Yankees thrashed the Red Sox. Exhausted, we ordered pizza from Kinchley's Tavern.

On Sunday I went for a long run and watched the Yankees thrash the Sox again, while my wife and her family shopped along Canal Street. Dinner was a delicious Jersey-style open faced steak sandwhich at Smith Brothers.

Monday featured another long run through Ho-Ho-Kus, followed by hot dogs at Rutt's Hut, a New Jersey classic. That night I traveled into the Bronx and caught the Yankees live at the stadium. It was a rescheduled game, so I was able to get a terrific seat in Box 2:

Unfortunately, the Yankees dropped the game. Just the same, it was great to be there for the first time all year.

We arrived home Tuesday night exhausted, only to have a house fire break out across the street around 8:30! The firemen arrived quickly from lucky Station 13, putting out the blaze before it spread beyond the kitchen. Our neighbors, who just moved in this summer, suffered quite a bit of smoke damage, and have a lot of work ahead of them.

Woman Arrested for Carrying a Concealed Bookmark

A Tampa television station is reporting a story about a Maryland woman who was hauled off to jail in handcuffs for carrying a "concealed weapon:"

Kathryn Harrington was flying home from vacation last month when screeners at the Tampa, Fla., airport found her bookmark. It's an 8.5-inch leather strip with small lead weights at each end.

Airport police said it resembled a weighted weapon that could be used to knock people unconscious. So the 52-year-old special education teacher was handcuffed, put into a police car, and charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

Thankfully, local officials had an epiphany and declined to prosecute the poor woman.

Signs you're from New Jersey

You know you're from New Jersey when:

You don't think of fruit if someone mentions "The Oranges."

A good, quick breakfast is a buttered hard roll (with poppy seeds).

You've eaten at a stainless steel clad, Greek-run diner, drunk, at 3 AM.

You know what a "jug handle" is.

You know that there are no "beaches" in New Jersey. There is the "shore", and you never go "to the shore", you go "down the shore." Once there, you are "not at the shore", you are "down the shore."

You don't find "What exit?" particularly funny.

You would never think of attending Princeton - that's for out-of-staters.

You had a kid named Tony in every class you attended.

You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.

You weren't raised in New Jersey. You were raised in North Jersey, Central Jersey, or South Jersey.

You remember Korvette's, Two Guys, Rickel's, Channel, Bamberger's, and Orbach's.

You've never pumped your own gas.

Kevin, writing at Wizbang, neatly sums up the latest developments in Dan Rather and CBS's memogate scandal:

They've corroborated phony evidence with hearsay from the secretary of a dead man.

Well put and succinct indeed.

Update - Lileks on the same scandal:

It boggles, it really does: the story is true, the evidence is faked, but the evidence reflects the evidence we have not yet presented that proves our conclusion – ergo, we’re telling the truth.

So the so-called "assault weapons" ban has expired. The liberals would have us believe that criminal anarchy is at hand. But what specific attributes can we now expect to see terrorizing the American citizenry? Here ya go: Law abiding Americans can now purchase weapons with two or more of the following horrific attributes:

Folding stocks. That's right, the universally dreaded "folding stock." Before the ban, cops and innocent civilians were killed at alarming rates by criminals mis-firing while folding their stocks.

Bayonette lugs. Bank customers everywhere fear being bayonetted by crooks armed with lugs on their guns. Who can now even step into a bank lobby with such fear?

Flash supressors. Imagine the horror of victims not visuallizing the muzzle flash of the weapon as it shoots them dead. Tragic.

Pistol grips. No American should die at the hands of a criminal holding a pistol grip when he or she can die just as surely if the criminal has any other grip configuration imaginable.

CBS Defends Itself (Badly)

CBS is is sticking behind their story that the memos purporting to show George Bush shirked his duties in the Texas Air National Guard are genuine. In their own defense, CBS has pointed to the IBM Selectric Composer as the machine of that era that could have generated the typesetting anomolies cited as evidence of forgery. Well, here is a picture of that machine:

Look at that thing. That's one mean electric typewriter. The author of this web page describes how the machine is used:

The basic task of the IBM Composer was to produce justified camera ready copy using proportional fonts. It has the capability of using a variety of font sizes and styles.
The first IBM Composer was the IBM "Selectric" Composer announced in 1966. It was a hybrid "Selectric" typewriter that was modified to have proportional spaced fonts. It is 100% mechanical and has no digital electronics. Since it has no memory, the user was required to type everything twice. While typing the text the first time, the machine would measure the length of the line and count the number of spaces. When the user finished typing a line of text, they would record special measurements into the right margin of the paper. Once the entire column of text was typed and measured, it would then be retyped, however before typing each line, the operator would set the special justification dial (on the right side) to the proper settings, then type the line. The machine would automatically insert the appropriate amount of space between words so that all of the text would be justified.

Putting aside for a moment that there is no reason one would expect a then state-of-the-art typesetting machine to be sitting in a National Guard hanger, waiting to produce the "camera ready copy" loved by fighter pilots worldwide, does anyone seriously believe that a National Guardsman, who his family says hated typing, would sit down and go through all that rigamarole just to write a memo to his own file?

Via Kevin at Wizbang

Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot has an article describing the thoughts and feelings of the residents of Marine stronghold Jacksonville, NC:

There is one topic very much on people’s minds, one that could alter how the United States carries out its mission in Iraq: the November presidential election. The Marine community – and Jacksonville as a whole – unabashedly supports Bush. Mention the Democratic ticket in a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post and be prepared for a lecture.

“It’s very rare that you have a military member who’s a Democrat and is brave enough to say it,” Pitchford acknowledged. “They know they can’t win the war, so they don’t get into the battle.”

Inside VFW Post 9133 on a recent night, a handful of veterans talked about North Carolina’s junior senator – vice presidential nominee John Edwards – and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry with disgust.

“If Kerry gets in there, God bless America, we’re finished,” said Ron Rang, a retired Marine who served two tours in Vietnam. Should Kerry win, Rang said, the thousand military deaths in Iraq will have been in vain.

C'mon, fellas, tell us how you really feel.

A friend in Florida sent me this today. Poor bastard.

Kerry Takes Questions Sparingly

This is no way to make friends and influence people:

Today marks the one-month point since Sen. John Kerry last answered questions from reporters traveling with him on the campaign trail.

The last time the Democratic presidential nominee took questions from them was Aug. 9 on the edge of the Grand Canyon, when the small traveling press pool accompanying him was allowed to ask eight questions.

And the last time Mr. Kerry held a full-fledged press conference where he faced questions from the entire corps of national reporters covering his campaign was Aug. 2 in Grand Rapids, Mich. He took two questions then.
[...]

"I'm going to have a press conference at least once a month to talk to the nation about what I'm doing, because I don't have anything to hide," Mr. Kerry told a Wisconsin audience Aug. 3.

If the press ever really starts asking Kerry questions and reporting his refusal to answer, his currently stalled campaign will go into reverse mighty darn quick.

CBS News is reporting that President might be transfered out of intensive care:

Mr. Clinton could soon move to the hospital's McKeen Pavilion, where patients are treated to a piano player at a daily complementary high tea. Other perks include meals prepared by a gourmet chef and concierge service.

I heard John Boy and Billy talking about it this morning on The Big Show, but I thought they were joking. A hospital with high tea?? There it is in black and white.

Last night on Dennis Miller's show, filmmaker Rory Kennedy opined that the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York should be shut down. Miller astutely asked her if it would be okay to replace it with additional nuclear plants in more acceptable (to Ms. Kennedy) locations.

She said no, that "alternative sources" such as wind were better choices. That would be the same wind power that her own family fought against when it might disturb their own multi-million dollar view.

Also on Miller's show last night, the two liberal panelists were unable to call the Chechen Muslims that shot Russian children up to 45 times in the back evil! Dennis Prager countered them, saying that evil does, in fact, exist, and it is our place to fight it, quoting John Kennedy that it is our obligation to fight evil. Game, set, and match to Prager.

Electoral College Reform

CNS News is reporting that Jesse Jackson and his son are starting movement to abolish the Electoral College.

Someone ought to direct Jesse's attention to this discussion, in which the author argues that the electoral college actually increases minority influence.

Proponents also point out that, far from diminishing minority interests by depressing voter participation, the Electoral College actually enhances the status of minority groups. This is so because the voters of even small minorities in a State may make the difference between winning all of that State's electoral votes or none of that State's electoral votes. And since ethnic minority groups in the United States happen to concentrate in those State with the most electoral votes, they assume an importance to presidential candidates well out of proportion to their number. The same principle applies to other special interest groups such as labor unions, farmers, environmentalists, and so forth.

It is because of this "leverage effect" that the presidency, as an institution, tends to be more sensitive to ethnic minority and other special interest groups than does the Congress as an institution. Changing to a direct election of the president would therefore actually damage minority interests since their votes would be overwhelmed by a national popular majority.

This from Norfolk's Virginian-Pilot, the opening of a story concerning violence against teachers in the public schools (article not yet online):

The girls almost made it through lunch before they started slugging each other.

They shared a table in the Hunt-Mapp Middle School cafeteria, a pair of 14-year-olds chatting and then arguing over who had gained the most weight during their recent pregnancies. Carolyn J. Smith, a teacher of three decades sensed a fight brewing.

I am fascinated that, in the Pilot's view, the newsworthy point of this story is not that these girls both became pregnant at thirteen, but that they were fighting about it at fourteen.

There truly is a culture war in this country, and it is clear which side the media occupies.

Dispatch From the Religion of Peace

Here is the story of a Muslim cleric in Qatar that claims there is just something about some women that makes it necessary to put a beat-down on them.

"We must know that (wife) beating is a punishment in Islamic religious law," the cleric stated. "No one should deny this because this was permitted by the Creator of Man, and because when you purchase an electric appliance or a car you get instructions – a catalogue, explaining how to use it. The Creator of Man has sent down this book (the Quran) in order to show man which ways he must choose."

Write that one down, fellow infidels. The Quran is like an instruction manual detailing how to properly open up a can of whup-ass on the fairer sex. He goes on:

"We shouldn't be ashamed before the nations of the world who are still in their days of ignorance, to admit that these [beatings] are part of our religious law," he said. "We must remind the ignorant from among the Islamic Nation who followed the [West] that those [Westerners] acknowledge the wondrous nature of this verse," he said, noting that there are three types of women "with whom life is impossible without beatings."

To which I say, if you can't live with a woman without smacking her around, wouldn't it be more peaceful and tolerant to simply not live with her? Apparently not in the Religion of Peace.

"(The Koran says:) 'and beat them.' This verse is of a wondrous nature. There are three types of women with whom a man cannot live unless he carries a rod on his shoulder.

Our cleric has a fairly lengthy description of these three "types" of women that are so asking for it. If she talks back, smack her good. If she ignores you, a little further whipping is in order. Finally, she must do as she is told, and if she doesn't look out!

Best sign seen at the Republican Convention

Annoy a Liberal
Work. Succeed. Be Happy.

On MSNBC last night, Tim Russert worried about the southern "bubba vote" and how Kerry was going to attract it. Hey Little Russ, venture south of Newark some day and you might discover that southerners aren't "bubbas" waiting to be enticed into voting your way.

Protestors call me "Stupid"

CNS News is reporting that the highly cultured, articulate, well-educated individuals that are protesting in New York think any that watches Fox News is "stupid."

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Fox News' headquarters Tuesday proclaiming that the millions of viewers who tune in every day to the cable news channel are mostly stupid Republicans from middle America.

So, what are the nuanced, well reasoned arguments these enlightened intellectuals are using to support their evaluation of my relative intelligence? Apparently, I have been "seduced:"

"The Fox culture is very seductive," Oram said. "It's always seductive when you're told to hate a group of people, when you're told to fear, when you're told to rally around the flag. Promoting that fear is not a democratically productive thing to do right now."

Oh, now I get it. I have been brainwashed by fear and hatred. Now that they mention it, it is so obvious. Indeed, my writing virtually drips with fear and hatred in every word. So how do the people calling me stupid, fearful, and hate-filled express themselves?

"Republicans are stupid! They watch Fox News," blared a poster held by Karen Minsberg, 51, of Brooklyn. When asked if it was a bit harsh, she told CNSNews.com absolutely not.

"We're not buying your bull**** anymore," she said in reference to the station. "We're insulted. We're angry. If you think this passes for news, go back to f****** kindergarten."

Now there's an intellectual position worth rallying around.

Dispatch from the Religion of Peace

Fox News is reporting that Chechen rebels (read "Muslims") have taken over a school and are threatening to kill the children.

Attackers wearing homicide-bomb belts seized a Russian school in a region bordering Chechnya on Wednesday, taking hostage about 400 people — half of them children — and threatening to blow up the building. At least two people were killed, one of them a parent who resisted an attacker.
[...]

The attackers forced children to stand at the windows and warned they would blow up the school if police tried to storm it, said Alexei Polyansky, a police spokesman for southern Russia.

I wonder how John Kerry would fight these people more sensitively.