July 29, 2005
a natural reaction to the self induced and largely imaginary pressures of blogging . . . an undertaking which was totally voluntary and which does not directly contribute to his or her continued survival, on this, our planet earth.Via Dawn.
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July 26, 2005
By the way, this week's hostesses for the Ball are: Sadie (warning: femme fatale alert), Beth (warning: sticky fingers alert), Claire (warning: shoe fetish alert), and Denita (warning: Sweet lyrics alert)
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July 21, 2005
No casualties, thankfully.
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July 20, 2005
i'll be busy again today, so look for poetry tonight.
In the meantime, read this fantastic post from Baron Bodissey at Gates of Vienna.
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July 19, 2005
Week in and week out, i am amazed at the talent to be found in the links of the Cotillion Ball, and this week is no different.
At my corner of the Ball, a costume theme in honor of our friends and allies, the people of Great Britain. And in honor of these grand ladies of the blogosphere, enjoy a little bit of British fashion history while you peruse the links.
While we're talking fashion, Holly of Soldiers' Angel is providing cute barefoot sandals and her original artwork out of the generosity of her heart to members of the military. She's given away over 200 miniature paintings so far, and has received many gracious thank-yous from servicewomen who appreciate a gift of somthing girlie.
In the "great minds think alike department," i was happy to find a kindred spirit in Jody of Steal the Bandwagon on the subject of the death penalty. Jody explains her change of heart regarding that touchy subject thusly:
At first it sounds great. Sure, you have so little regard to human life to take someone elseÂ’s life? Fine. Say hello to Mr. Sparky. And for most of my life this is how I have regarded the death penalty.Like Jody, it was also the Groningen Protocol story, along with Terri Schiavo's death that made me seriously question my support for the death penalty. i just don't know anymore if human beings and human institutions can be trusted with the power to decide who lives and who should die.But I am beginning to wonder if putting to death anyone can fit into my personal ideology. I am adamantly against abortion and euthanasia. The act of willfully taking anotherÂ’s life devalues human life. The story last [year] regarding the newborns being euthanized in a Dutch hospital made me shudder. Imagine where life is so unvalued that a doctor is allowed to take it?
Zendo Deb of TFS Magnum found a site that has some very interesting and provocative information about self-defense, along with some cool graphics. Check out "Two ways to shield yourself from a violent attack." It's an effective way to get across a very simple yet important message. Go visit Deb and follow her link to A-Human-Right.com. Ladies especially should pay close attention to the page entitled "Stay Safe."
Michigander E. M. Zanotti of The American Princess thinks a man named Ted might be a good choice to replace governor Jennifer Granholm. No, not Kennedy... Ted Nugent.
No. I am not kidding.And let's not forget how he warned America about the dangers of Cat Scratch Fever, so many years ago. i'd vote for him.Yes, sir. The Nuge, the Motor City Madman, may be throwing his camouflage cowboy hat with the real 'coon tail into the ring to take on the Moled Wonder.
. . .Not that the Nuge isn't qualified, he's written for more than 40 publications and is author of 'God, Guns and Rock nÂ’ Roll,' 'Kill It and Grill It' and the newly released 'BloodTrails II.' HeÂ’s serving his fourth term on the National Rifle AssociationÂ’s board of directors, and is president of the Ted Nugent United Sportsmen of America. And if that wasnÂ’t enough, his No. 1 voted hunting show 'Spirit of the Wild' on the Outdoor Channel. He's the national spokesman for D.A.R.E. and he's got a solid political outlook . . .
i already alerted you to The Anchoress's blog post about the 1999 ABC News report that, quite beyond belief, completely contradicts the standard MSM line about any pre-war connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq. This post is the type of stuff that makes The Anchoress one of those blogs you should check daily as you're taking that first sip of coffee.
The same is true for Fausta's Bad Hair Blog. She implores us to focus like a laser beam on the real scandal confronting us all:
There is ONE, and I repeat, ONE pressing issue of our times: we are at war. Not a 'little' war in a far-away place, but an assault on all civilisation The Democrats simply don't have a clue as to what to do about that.Absolutely. Fausta also forsees a change in France. Who is this man Nicholas Sarkozy, and can he save the Republic?And that's the real scandal.
Denita of Who Tends The Fires describes what it's like to live along the Gulf Coast during hurricane season.
All along the Coast a person can see the legacy of numberless hurricanes. No structure is without its scars and replaced siding, with holes pocking the window frames where plywood was hastily thrown up to protect the glass. Only those houses that were built during the more peaceable Winter are pristine and untouched--and it's a sure bet that they'll no longer be virginal within a couple years.Also (if we can talk fashion again for a moment) do go over to Denita's friend Sandra's eBay shop. Mention Denita and get a $3 discount!
Children are not luggage. That may seem like an obvious point, but some folks apparently need to be reminded of the child/luggage dichotomy. Beth at Yeah, Right, Whatever has the details.
Imagine for a moment that you're a mom with a dilemma. You have to get your kids to their dad's home several states away. Your car will not fit them all. What do you do?Amazing what some people think is proper parenting these days.Here's a hint- you DON'T put your kids in the frickin' trunk!
2004 Weblog Award winner and Cotillion blogger Kate of Small Dead Animals is a great place to get a conservative's perspective on Canadian politics. Mary Katharine Ham of Townhall.com shares a great bit of family history involving the mighty 8th AAF. And pretty much everything at Villainous Company is always worth linking to; here she exhorts WaPo columnist Richard Cohen to stop lying.
i hope you enjoyed the Ball. Please go check out the rest of the links at Dr. Sanity's, RightGirl's, and Beth's
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July 14, 2005
Lately, every couple of days someone has been commenting to that post. i guess google searches for L!nds@y have increased since the Herbie movie came out, and my site pops up as the number seven result in a search for the sudden waif's e-mail address.
Most of the people who arrive and comment do not seem to have a clue, and think that i am either L!inds@y herself, or a close friend of hers. It's funny. For instance, this chick thinks L!nds@y is in the habit of giving her phone number out to random strangers:
Dear Lindsay or whoever is reading,Strange.
Hey, what's up? I would like to know more about Lindsay Lohan. If anyone know her phone no & e-mail or one of them pls give it to me.If this e-mail reads it lindsasy lohan ,can u give me your phone no & e-mail pls. Thanks . Bye
Here's someone who took my satirical post way too seriously.
u honestly think Lindsay would respond to that.. and wat makes u think tht by telling her u noe a cool guy shes gonna care.Well, my post may have been satire, but i wasn't lying when i said that L!nds@y would totally dig on Ken Wheaton, if she only met him.
My post has become a discussion board of sorts for a totally different audience, most likely international, and very obviously young. i am beginning to worry about the state of English language education in the world, now that i've seen a sampling of what passes for spelling and grammar.
well i thing lindsay is the best actris in the world .and herbie fully loaded is the greatest movoe i ever saw. all the movies of linsay i h ave saw but i just want to know if anybody has her email adress i will be great to have it thanks byeCrikey! i have to admire anyone with the intestinal fortitude to sit through the entire L!nds@y oeuvre. What fascinating conversations one might have. i imagine they might go like this, for instance:
"i love how the auteur combines editing and cinematography in idiosyncratic ways as a commentary on outmoded concepts of "reality" [here make the "quote" gesture with fingers] utilizing both the explicit and implicit narrative meanings in the film Freaky Friday."
"Oh yes, but the subtlety of The Parent Trap is at once delicious and painful as an expression of ambivalent attitudes toward the ideological issue of violence, drawing upon conventions of cinematic realism to characterize the plot structure and mise-en-scene exposition of theme and characters."
"Exactly. I wept."
But most of the comments contain the same question: "How can i get in touch with L!nds@y?" Since i have been silent on the matter, as i can't answer that question, other commenters have offered their advice.
I have several adresses thay all clame to be lindsays I emailed her about amillion times I have mary kate and ashleys but who knows if they are real.Now there's a question i can answer. They are not real. All four are fake. And spectacular, from what i hear.
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July 13, 2005
Meanwhile, check out some of the great blogs on my sidebar. Like Little Miss Attila, who wrote something recently that i can totally relate to:
as I tick down the list of things I'm interested in: cars, trains, guns, military strategy. Motorcycles.i hear ya, girl. My list includes airplanes, military history, sports, action movies, and science fiction. i should have been a boy.I'm clearly not a middle-aged woman, but rather a 16-year-old boy trapped in a middle-aged female body.
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July 12, 2005
Feisty Repartee
Sisu
Villianous Company
Sissy Willis describes the Cotillion like this:
Then there are the Ladies of the Cotillion. Hold the door for one of them as a courtesy, and she'll flash you a dazzling smile. But sign her dance card, and you'd better have your wits about you. She adores a rousing debate at least as much as a fling around the dance floor and does not suffer fools gladly. The blogosphere is littered with the corpses of lesser word warriors' debating points.Get in on the Instalanche.
And speaking of -lanches, Hello to all Rodger fans!
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July 11, 2005
thatÂ’s ok Gary. My generation will be here after yours is soon gone to write the legacy of your lives. That is our revenge. We get to be the ones to tell your tale. And I do admit your generation did do one thing right, it created the internet.i know a lot of people who stopped reading Doonesbury back in the eighties. i'm proud to say i never read that shit.Thanks man! You just gave the power of the press, once just reserved for people like yourself, to average wingnuts like me. "Power to the people" isnÂ’t that how the song used to go? Well here it is baby!, only it seems that your generation really didnÂ’t mean "power to the people" it really meant "power only to people who think just like us". Whoopsie Daisy! I guess that didnÂ’t work out quite like you planned either. Is there anything your generation worked on that did work out? Well, yeah, The Internet. Now chock full of those people you and your cartoon now decry as 'unemployed losers'. Its funny the way you say it just like your parents called the people in your generation "in need of a haircut and a bath".
And my generation is now exploiting the internet. Did I say "Exploit"? Shall we call it what it is? Let's call it a revolution!( quick, get that Beatles record, whereÂ’s that "you say you want a revolution"- I so want to rip that to an MP3 and provide a link right here.) And since were throwing metaphors around, Those "barbarians at the gates" that you are hearing? Those "barbarians" are people like me, who can reach more people in an afternoon than you could do in the first 10 years of your underground 'fighting against the man' career. Only we arenÂ’t underground, were that 'evil middle class' America you railed so much about when you still had hair on your head and not in your ears. Thanks to your generation, we donÂ’t have to go through people you to talk to each other any more. We control the means of production comrade.
The 'silent majority' just got High Speed Wireless Broadband baby, and if you were part of my generation, youÂ’d know what that meant.
Varifrank, on a roll now, continues:
We donÂ’t think America is a bad place. We think its a pretty damn nice place. We cant help but notice the people that risk their lives to come here are all smiling when the arrive, almost as if they were happy to be here. Imagine that! Perhaps they havenÂ’t been reading your cartoon or listening to Air America. Maybe if we put Al Franken on the Air in Tijuana, that might stop the illegal immigration problem( oh if only we could warn them Gary, if only...) We donÂ’t need to translate Air America to Spanish, the language of the upper class yellow coward is universal around the world. The only people we see in this country who stagger around unhappily are ones with the Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers on their cars. Maybe the new car smell in Volvos isnÂ’t quite as country fresh as it is in our hummers...Insert "not all baby-boomers are leftists" disclaimer here. Of course, the generation that gave us the "make love not war" slogan does have an unfortunate reputation to live down.We donÂ’t think the military are baby killers. We honor our troops, We honor the past, We honor the dead. We respect the living. My generation didnÂ’t need a draft, it volunteered! 'Greatest Generation'? Well, we think that gene skipped a generation. Your generation wants to lay prostrate at the feet of those who killed innocent people in Manhattan, wants to equate Mohammed Attas soldiers in Guantanmo to the likes of Martin Luther King in a Birmingham jail. This generation has given its life to go kill those who killed us and to help spread the liberty of democracy, yes - I said it, liberty , Democracy AND YES, FREEDOM to those who are enslaved. Your generation sneers at the very idea of such a thing. Your generation thinks the only thing the world needs to be liberated from is us. You think that because some of us donÂ’t want to have our tax money go to 'piss christ' that we donÂ’t have freedom, while women who were shot in the back of the head for kite flying in Afghanistan wonder just what the hell your generation is talking about.
i really believe that a lot of liberal mischief is the result of an ill-conceived nostalgia for the sixties. The press believes that their high water mark was toppling Nixon. When in fact, Nixon toppled himself. But they desparately want to do it again. And to the old media, if truth gets in the way, fuck the truth. They want another Nixon.
The anti-war left is the same way. Young activists, trained in the crucible of our universities by former hippies who think they "stopped the war, man," want nothing more than to do it again. Never mind that Nixon stopped the war, not the activists. (As Michael Medved is fond of pointing out, the giant anti-war demonstrations all but evaporated after Nixon ended the draft. Even as the war continued.)
Listen, i went to Berkeley. If there's one drumbeat that you hear all through undergrad there, it is this: Make a difference. Sounds great, but the thrust of that imperative is limited and obvious once you spend a few semesters there. "Making a difference" is narrowly defined not as "having a family," "raising good children," or "contributing to society in a constructive way." It's defined as a blind opposition to anything traditional. "Tear it all down, man."
Trouble is, that sentiment is in itself traditional. Yes, traditionally Marxist.
Link via Dymphna at Gates of Vienna.
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July 10, 2005
Incredibly, the British press is actually using the 'T' word. Yes, they are referring to the London Underground perps as terrorists. Why is this so unusual? Because the British media have been religiously scrupulous in referring to all terrorists and mass murderers who attack Jews as 'activists' and 'militants'.Read the rest. Link thanks to Lonely Thinker.. . .
It was suddenly not a legitimate form of protest against occupation to mass-murder civilians. The British newspapers did not not issue special editions documenting the abuses of human rights by Britain, nor bemoan the 'grievances' of those angry at the UK. Not a single Euro-politician made a speech denouncing the illegal British occupations of the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.
. . .
And the BBC has not demanded that the Brits re-examine their own behavior, to discover which manifestation of their arrogance provoked the Al-Qaida savages.
. . .
There were no protests against British plans to implement 'profiling' at its airports and train stations. . . . Human rights groups did not demand that any captured subway terrorists be treated as prisoners of war with full Geneva Convention privileges and good lawyers.
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This is a blog phenomenon. Pretty cool, too.
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July 06, 2005
Dance over to the following sites:
The Anchoress
Little Miss Attila
Charmaine at Reasoned Audacity
Jody at Steal The Bandwagon
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July 05, 2005
i suck.
Every other owner has been in first at least once. i've set a record for being in last place the most consecutive weeks.
Yep, pretty much all of them.
i drafted poorly. i built my team around Eric Gagné, who went on the DL almost immediately, came back briefly, and is out again. i got no runners except for Podsednik, with his sub-par offensive stats.
But that's only for starters.
i'm in the bottom three in the following stats: runs, home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, batting average, on base percentage, wins, saves, strikeouts, earned run average and walk+hit ratio.
Yep, pretty much all of them.
i'm even behind Ted, who doesn't even like baseball. i'm way behind gcotharn, and he's never played fantasy baseball before. (In fact, gcotharn is in first place!)
Victor and Matt tried to help me out with some very generous trades, and yet i still suck. While Dawn and The Maximum Leader never make a roster change and they're beating me.
i'm losing to Paul, who apparently gave up his blog so he could devote more time to kicking my ass!
Even a Geek knows more about baseball than i do.
It's hard to believe, but i'm even losing to a bunch of Zombies and Rats.
Yes, as Charlie Brown said: Rats.
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July 04, 2005
Throughout our nation's great history, patriotic ladies on the homefront have always stood behind our fighting men (and now women) 110%. From Betsy Ross and Clara Barton to Rosie the Riveter and the Gold Star Moms, American women have felt pride in each victory and grieved each tragic loss as our nation's military stood guard over our freedoms.
Here on the blogosphere, the ladies of The Cotillion are no different. For this year's July 4th celebration, we are highlighting some of the great Milbloggers, current and former military men and women, who have kept us all so well informed in this age of media bias.
euphoricReality
euphoricReality’s tagline is “Because truth is more important than popularity,” which is a fitting motto for any milblogger.
The four bloggers who run this site are Kit Jarrell, an Air Force veteran who served in Bosnia; KitÂ’s husband Corey "The Marine," who served three years in the USMCÂ’s elite Marine Security Guard Battalion; former Army Airborne veteran and history buff Heidi Theiss; and finally guest writer Andi (who has her own blog), a veteran of the storied 2nd Armored Division.
euphoricReality does a great service by regularly highlighting some of our American Heroes like Gunnery Sergeant Nick Popaditch, for whom we should all give thanks.
Today, Heidi has posted a 4th of July Tribute featuring some beautiful songs of patriotism that mean a lot to her. They may bring a tear to your eye. And so may Kit Jarrell's update on the missing Recon team in Afghanistan. The media has reported their loss so matter-of-factly, that we tend to forget how much we owe to men like these. Kit names them, and reminds us not to forget them:
As you enjoy your holiday today, take a moment to remember these men and their sacrifice. DonÂ’t just say you will and forget as soon as you get out to your patio. Really stop. Think about what they gave so you can throw some fat steaks on your grill, hoist a beer, and spend time with family and friends.When youÂ’re done doing that, say a prayer for the families of these men. Their barbecues and family reunions will never be complete again.
Stryker Brigade News
The Stryker Brigade News blog is a site run by a group of volunteers, all of whom have friends or family serving in the Army's Stryker Brigade Combat Teams. As you all know, the Stryker is a wheeled armored combat vehicle, and this blog contains a great many Stryker related photographs, some very artistic.
Last October, one of Stryker Brigade News' contributors became personally acquainted with the price of war. Mike Oreskovic's son Michael was severely injured in a car bomb attack only a week before he was scheduled to come home. The blog has continued to update regularly on Mike's recovery since then. Most recently Mike was featured in a Washington Post article as one of several veterans who attended this weekend's reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. The full article is very much worth reading.
Brain Shavings
Representing the United States Coast Guard in the ranks of Milbloggers is Puddle Pirate of Brain Shavings. The Pirate has a novel idea on how property owners can insulate themselves from eminent domain seizures in the post-Kelo era.
Let's say that you own some attractive real estate that your local government wants to take from you through eminent domain. To foil their plans you enter into a contract with the state government, where in exchange for a fee, the state automatically takes title to your property if your municipal or county government ever attempts to condemn it, and you get to live on the land. Perhaps it could be set up as a trust with the state as trustee.Interesting idea. Brain Shavings has been all over the Kelo story with insight and good humor.Anyway, since a local government doesn't have the authority to condemn state property, they lose all incentive to condemn your property once you tell them about your new arrangement. If the condemnation would be for a true public use (as we used to understand it) like building a highway or a bridge, you can always put a clause in the contract that exempts such true public uses from triggering the passage of title to the state.
doubleplusgood infotainment
doubleplusgood infotainment has been a long time fixture on my own blogroll. Its proprietor, JCrue, is a retired Marine who blogs from Reno, Nevada. i like his tagline: "Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots."
Being from Nevada and all, JCrue has a special incentive to keep an eye on the disgrace that is our Senate Minority leader. He pulls no punches either.
Screw you, Harry. I saw what Carter did to our nation and I saw what Clinton refused to do for our country and I have to say, you and your fellow party members are at least dedicated to the same cowardice those two were.Also, JCrue reminds us to continue sending messages of thanks and support to our troops by clicking here.When the troops begin to believe the (D) party supports them and no longer hears your party's words on al-Jazerra as evidence of dissent and used as anti-American propaganda, then maybe, just maybe, I will start to believe what you have to say. But only when the men and women serving overseas believe without reservation and are confident in their daily tasks that you, the (D) party, and the entire nation stands behind them, your words sound hollow.
ARMOR GEDDON
ARMOR GEDDON is a fabulous blog, run by Neil Prakash who is currently stationed in Germany after a tour in Iraq commanding an M1 Abrams tank. It's a relatively new blog, which he started at the urging of his friend Sarah of Trying to Grok. (Sarah's husband served alongside Neil in Iraq.)
Neil's blog contains some of the best war writing of any Milblogger around. Seriously. He's funny, he explains things well, and he has a great eye for the details of a tanker's life. You really get an insight into both day-to-day life and the exhilaration of combat. Neil's posts about the battles of Fallujah and Baqubah are worth reading from beginning to end. He should think about contacting a literary agent someday.
Not to be missed are ARMOR GEDDON's collection of video clips from Iraq. His latest is a montage of footage related to a few IEDs his platoon found on Election Day in Iraq. It's a mini-movie, complete with explanatory footnotes in this post. Great stuff, if you have broadband. Even if you don't, it's totally worth waiting for on dial-up. Trust me. Turn up the volume and enjoy the fun.
So, from annika's journal a very special Thank You goes out to all Milbloggers and every member and veteran of our armed services: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Thank you for watching our backs on this Fourth of July and on every day of the year. We owe you a great debt, and we'll keep you all in our prayers.
Please also go check out the other Milblogger tributes filed by the wonderful ladies of the Cotillion.
Happy Fourth!
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