Happy New Year

Yeah, I know, it's New Year's Eve and I am sitting around blogging by myself. Pathetic? Sure. But cut me some slack, 'cause my wife died yesterday and I don't really feel like socializing.

So I am going to watch the Giants-Raiders game, blog a little, and go to bed early. Here's hoping you have a terrific 2006 and praying it turns out better than 2005 did for me.

Yet Another Dispatch From the Religion of Peace

Is there no end to this nonsense? Check out the latest goings on in the name of the Religion of Peace:

PALU, Indonesia - Suspected Islamic militants set off a powerful bomb packed with nails Saturday at a busy market frequented by Christians, killing eight people and wounding 45 as they bought pork for New Year's Eve celebrations.

The blast occurred in Palu on Sulawesi Island, which has been plagued in recent years by religious violence and terrorism by Islamic extremists.

The early morning explosion sent ball bearings and nails tearing into vendors and shoppers, leaving the market scattered with dismembered bodies. Police and passers-by carried bloodied bodies to cars. One man, apparently unhurt, held his head in his hands as he screamed.

Obviously, the solution to this carnage is some sort of treaty, right? Maybe a "peace deal" will settle things down. Wrong!

Despite a peace deal, Islamic militants have continued a campaign of bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christians, including market blasts in May that killed 20 people and the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in October. No one has been charged in those attacks.

Yeah, right. Let's continue to negotiate and deal with these barbarians. The sooner we acknowledge the evil we confront, the sooner we can destroy it and its adherents. And until the so-called "moderate" Muslims confront and condemn this monstrous behavior, I say profile the hell out 'em.

More from the Religion of Peace....

In Pakistan, our ally in the war on terror, a man killed his stepdaughter and her three stepsisters because he believed the stepsister was having an affair.

And to top it all off he did this all in front of his wife who was holding their three month old son.

His only reported regret was that he didn't kill the stepdaughter's alleged lover.

Some strange concept of honor...

Shades of Atlas Shrugged

In the classic Ayn Rand novel Atlas Shrugged, the world economy collapses as all the producers and businessmen are driven out of business by government regulations and intrusion from a host of "social engineers." Couldn't really happen, right? Wrong!

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The thefts began shortly after the day surfers call Blank Monday, when the surfing community from San Diego to Santa Cruz and beyond felt caught in the undertow of what Grubby Clark had done.

Mr. Clark, a reclusive surf industrialist whose given name is Gordon, is responsible for producing foam cores, or blanks, for most of the nation's surf boards.

On Dec. 5, Mr. Clark abruptly went out of business.

"Abruptly" going out of business is a classic Atlas scenario. But it gets better (or worse) still:

In 2003, Mr. Clark received a notice from the Environmental Protection Agency for, among other things, failing to safeguard workers against the accidental release of toluene diisocyanate, or TDI, a liquid catalyst and known carcinogen used in making polyurethane foam.

There was also the cost of workers' compensation, insuring machines of his own design and "a claim being made by the widow of an employee who died from cancer," he wrote.

"For owning and operating Clark Foam," the letter began, "I may be looking at very large fines, civil lawsuits, and even time in prison."

One wonders if Clark is now hanging out in Colorado with John Galt.

On Johnny Damon...

Johnny used to look like Jesus,
Still throws like Mary,
And betrays like Judas!

Have fun watching him try to throw home on a sacrifice fly from center field in Yankee Stadium...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Here are some Christmas lights and New Year fireworks, courtesy of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia Beach.

The New York Times, in typically miopic and partisan fashion, trots out a sanguine editorial in "celebration" of Christmas.

But Christmas is something different. Feeling is the point of it, somewhere under all that shopping. To think of Scrooge is to think of his conversion, the cartwheeling of his emotions after his long night of the soul. But the more interesting part of the story is his dogged resistance to feeling the way everyone thinks he's supposed to feel - about death, about charity, about prize turkeys hanging at the poulterer's.

How sweet. For the Times, it's all about how you feel. Never mind that the point of A Christmas Carol was finding redemption for what you had done. Why let deeds get in the way of feelings? The hollow sentiment marches on:

Most of us know how we want to feel this time of year, whatever holiday we are celebrating. We want to feel safe, loving and well loved, well fed, openhanded, and able to be moved by the powerful but very humble stories that gather in this season. We would like to feel that there is a kind of innocence, not in our hearts, since our hearts are such complicated places, but in the very gestures and rituals of late December.

Say what? Read that again, because it say's absolutely nothing. Moreover, consider the passive tense of the verbs. We are supposed to "feel safe," not "enjoy the security of our home." We want to be "well fed," not to "celebrate the bounty" that our efforts over the past year have provided us. We should feel "openhanded," which means exactly nothing I can put a finger on. And we long to be "moved" by "humble stories." How, pray tell, is the story of Jesus Christ a "humble story?" It might be the story of a humble man, but it surely isn't a humble story. If you don't believe me, tour the Vatican someday. The Times goes on:

...whether you are Christian or Jewish or Muslim or merely human, the word we would like to feel most profoundly now is Peace.

Regardless of the absurdity of constructing an argument around somehow feeling a word, that's a nice platitude, but that's all it is. Because "peace" is an illusion. Even if you capitalize it and turn it into some sort of Timesian invioble state of being. "Peace" lasts only as long as someone who dislikes you allows it. It's not something you can achieve for yourself, only something allowed to you by your enemies. By my recollection, I was pretty peaceful feeling on September 10, 2001. Heck, September 11, 2001 was a peaceful morning up until the first plane hit the tower. But to think we were at "Peace" before we were struck is delusional. Likewise, unless you can climb into the head of every Jew-hating, death-to-America chanting, throat-sawing, murderous Islamist and see his (and recently, her) thoughts and plans, don't kid yourself. You might not be under attack, but you are certainly not in some Times-envisioned version of "Peace."

In typical Times defeatism, it turns out in the end that it is because we are human that we cannot achieve "Peace."

We come into this season knowing how we want it to make us feel, and we are usually disappointed because humans never cease to be human. But we are right to remember how we would like to feel. We are right to long for peace and good will.

Oh, brother. For the sake of wrapping this thing up before the New Year, let's put aside the Times laser-sharp focus on our feelings of "Peace," as opposed to our reality. Here's my translation of that last bit of tripe:

"We will never see Peace as defined by this editorial board because we believe humans are incapable of achieving our grand vision of such. But our vision of Peace is nevertheless so grand, and so all-encompassing, that we are justified in pining for it even if we are tilting at windmills and unable to fully articulate what it is we actually have in mind."

Is this supposed to be an inspiring editorial about Peace on Earth? Because it sounds more like "woe is me" to me.

Update: Just to keep in perspective The New York Times contention that the Muslim world pines for Peace just like the rest of us Christians, Jews, and Atheists, consider this story:

In a fit of rage, a Pakistani father has slit his eldest daugher's throat because she married for love.

Yeah, that marrying for love stuff is pretty bad. Better make sure she didn't talk anybody else into that kind nonsense.

The man killed the woman in her sleep before killing his three other daughters in a remote village in Burewala, eastern Pakistan.

Police say Nazir Ahmad feared the three younger girls - aged four to 12 - would follow in their sister's footsteps.

Welcome, Johnny

I just thought I would throw this up to torque up any Red Sox fans that might stumble across The Pool. Best of luck in The Bronx, Mr. Damon. I take back everything I said about you. See you in April.

December 22

All Men, time to start shopping....

A USB Swiss Army Knife

Well, here's an interesting product. This Swiss Army Knife features the following features: 1GB USB memory stick, Blade, Nail file, Screwdriver, Scissors, Key Ring, LED mini light, Retractable ball point pen.

I guess the corkscrew and the toothpick had to be discarded to accomodate the tools of the 21st Century.

Read This. Read it Now.

Those who know me know that I have been crying tears of anguish over the last couple weeks. Read this, read it now, and cry tears of joy. We need these Marines, and we love these Marines.

Spielberg's Munich

I've recently read the Time cover story on Spielberg's "Munich," and i had the nagging feeling I had already seen it.

After some time on Google (not an easy find since Spielberg's movies saturates the hits) and HBO's website, I found this Sword of Gideon (1986) .

Another remake for Spielberg.

Football Chick Beats Jersey Girl to Win Survivor

Stephenie, the pharmaceutical sale rep from somewhere in Jersey, lost during the jury round of survivor last night. Kurt was obsessed with her much of last year's Survivor Palau, but despite her two ('er I mean numerous) attributes, she couldn't beat the stigma of being this season's "backstabber."

Dani, from Tonganoxie, Kansas, a former Teen Ms. USA and Miss USA contestant, won, and promptly changed her hair color.

Her strategy seemed to be to lose so much weight that by the third episode the other contestants couldn't see her anymore and just plain forgot she was there.

I will remember Dani for the 2" x 2" red boy shorts, that despite their size still managed to cover everything. Further proof that when you're stranded by Jeff Probst bikini waxes are still available.

I also remember all of Dani's ribs, which I counted each and every episode, proving to myself that Adam never did really lose that rib and women really are a separate species descended from aliens.

Things that make you go "Hmmm"

This New York Times article about the New York Yankees off-season dance with a number of players is mostly the usual nonsense about arbitration for this player, options for that player, and negotiations with these players. Then, well into the piece, this got my attention:

The veteran Nomar Garciaparra is willing to play several positions, and the Yankees met with his agent, Arn Tellem, on Wednesday. Tellem called it a good meeting, but he said Garciaparra would not sign anywhere this week.

Can you imagine an infield of Nomar Garciaparra at second, Derek Jeter at short, and Alex Rodriquez at third? Some would argue that Jeter was the third best shortstop on the team!

John Kerry, You Sorry Piece of S***

Through the years, I have resisted use of foul language in the Pool, and hope never to again. But tonight, for this post, all gloves are off. Because this is f*cking over the line. John Kerry, Democratic "war hero," and noted gold-digger, had this to say on Face the Nation:

(Y)ou've got to begin to transfer authority to the Iraqis, and there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the - of - of - of - historical customs, religious customs, whether you like it or not.

That's right, the same treasonous, cowardly John Kerry that conveyed 3 shrapnel wounds into Purple Hearts and an early discharge before accusing his brothers in arms of war crimes in VietNam, has now accused the current American military of "terrorism" in Iraq! And his rationale?

Iraqis should be doing that.

So to John F*cking Kerry, it's not terrorism that's the problem, it's the failure of the Bush administration to properly outsource it to the Iraqis. What a tool. John Kerry is an intellectual dwarf, and a political hack. He has no vision and no goals short of his own short term political power. And he remains dangerous to this country. Thank the Good Lord he was too incompentent to succeed in a national presidential campaign.

I am now taking contributions for venom replenishment. Thank you very much.

Man, It's Cold

Record cold is sweeping across the country:

Bitterly cold air poured southward across the nation's midsection Wednesday, dropping temperatures to record lows from Montana to Illinois. The mercury dived to a record 45 below at West Yellowstone, Mont., the frequently cold spot at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the National Weather Service said. The old record for Dec. 7 was 39 below, set in 1927.

Even the desert paradise of Las Vegas is freezing:

Temperatures read like baseball scores in northeastern New Mexico - zero at Las Vegas and 1 at Raton. "I'm sitting here in my office and it's freezing and we've got the heat on full blast," said Bill Cox, owner of the Hillcrest Restaurant in Las Vegas.

Question: How long before some twenty-something college kid in dreadlocks and a Che! t-shirt gravely warns the rest of us that this cold wave is a sure sign that global warming, and unless we dismantle modernity per his direction, we are all doomed?

Gender Politics and Climate Change?

Proving that there isn't anything that can't be turned into "us versus them" politics, a group of left-wing feminists is claiming that so-called "global warming" is men's fault, and it's the women that are paying the price.

"Women and men are differently affected by climate change and they contribute differently to climate change," said Ulrike Rohr, director of the German-based group called "Genanet-Focal point gender, Environment, Sustainability."

"What we are calling for is to take into account more of the social aspects of climate change," Rohr added.

Someone might take these feminists seriously if they weren't so ridiculous.