Subway Restaurants: Anti-American

Subway helps breed more anti-Americanism in Germany...check out the fat Lady Liberty.

The Boston Globe's Ridiculous Headline

Today's Boston Globe features an enormous frontpage headline that reads: "Kerry Vows Freedom Anew".

Freedom for who?
Freedom from what?
Freedom where?
What Freedom was there"before" that we have to "get back"?
What is the Globe TALKING ABOUT?

In the history of incomprehensible headlines, surely, this one stands out. Is it possible that Kerry said so little of substance in his speech that the Globe just didn't know what to write?

It's possible.

Will Laci's Mom Speak at Convention?
 
The Democrats seem to be scoring some political points on the use of human embryos in scientific experiments, but perhaps the Bush folks could counter with an emotional appeal of their own in the person of Sharon Rocha - Laci Peterson's mom.

Ms. Rocha was a strong supporter of "Laci's Law", a law that recognizes an unborn child as a separate crime victim when a pregnant mom is attacked. She wrote an emotional appeal to Senator Kerry and he refused to take her advice.

Perhaps the speach of Ron Reagan will soon be overshadowed by the determined voice of a would-be grandma fighting for the memory of her grandson Conner.

Something Fishy when Patriot Act is Mentioned

Call me a cynic, but I'm always suspicious when an Internet geek gets caught up in some strange doings and immediately blames the Patriot Act for his troubles.  The Patriot Act is simply a code word for the Left to check their brains at the door and follow blindly the latest alleged outrage.

"And perhaps most disturbing of all, it was later revealed that the FBI invoked a provision of the USA Patriot Act to obtain financial records from his ISP. "

Yeah....right.....check out Boing Boing for the story of an Internet sad-sack.

Don't Forget Carter's Malaise Speech
 
Here is a snippet from the worst speech ever made by an American President. Imagine coming home from a 10 hour day at work and listening to this garbage?

The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our Nation.

The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.

The confidence that we have always had as a people is not simply some romantic dream or a proverb in a dusty book that we read just on the Fourth of July. It is the idea which founded our Nation and has guided our development as a people. Confidence in the future has supported everything else -- public institutions and private enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. Confidence has defined our course and has served as a link between generations. We've always believed in something called progress. We've always had a faith that the days of our children would be better than our own.

Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy.

New York Times cops to social liberalism.

No longer the "Newspaper of Record" in America.

Pro-Choicers Are Not Nice

No explanation necessary - from Orlando Weekly.

As we march down Pennsylvania Avenue, the Christian anti-abortion front get more obnoxious, and thus better protected by barricades and cops. The marchers angrily chant "Pro-life, that's a lie! You don't care if women die!" I glance over at Jennifer, and she looks madder than a wet hen. She's abandoned the group chant and is screaming, "Go to hell and burn your Bibles!" So much for Zen and meditation.

As we pass a group of clergymen holding signs that say, "What about the BABY'S life?" I yell, "What about my life?" One of the men tries to touch me and cries out, "Jesus loves you anyway! Even though you support killing babies, Jesus loves you!" That does it. I put my middle finger up an inch away from his face and scream, "Fuck you!"

Immediately afterwards, a row of about a dozen Catholic priests are lined up, silently passing judgment on all of us sinners. The marchers around me go nuts. Everyone starts yelling about pedophiles and the Pope being an irrelevant old fart. A few of the priests smirk, which makes me ornery as hell. I point at each of them and yell, "Pedophiles! Child molesters! Rapists of young boys! Burn in hell, you motherfuckers!" That's right, I told a bunch of priests to burn in hell. I've dreamt of this day ever since I was a disillusioned 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl. My catharsis is off the charts.

Terrorists Walk Proud in London

Is Britain a pathetic nation or what? Terrorists flaunt their hatred of Britain, wish for death to thousands and no likely reaction. In America, perhaps these fellows and their friends might get a little visit from some drunk teamsters who might - accidently, of course - take their eyes out.

"As far as I'm concerned, when they bomb London, the bigger the better," says Abdul Haq, the social worker. "I know it's going to happen because Sheikh bin Laden said so. Like Bali, like Turkey, like Madrid - I pray for it, I look forward to the day."

"Pass the brown sauce, brother," says Abu Malaahim, the IT specialist, devouring his chicken and chips.

"I agree with you, brother," says Abu Yusuf, the earnest-looking financial adviser sitting opposite. "I would like to see the Mujahideen coming into London and killing thousands, whether with nuclear weapons or germ warfare. And if they need a safehouse, they can stay in mine - and if they need some fertiliser [for a bomb], I'll tell them where to get it."

New Church Doctrine: Tell the City to "Screw"

The Boston City Council wants the city to have first rights to buy church property.

As the Pope would say, "Screw".

Waffles

I like my waffles very brown, very crispy...not running for President. Or being Google Bombed.

Brigham's and Hacks

Some interesting doings at Hub Blog:

Jay takes note of a Herald article by Greg Gatlin that reports the sale of Brigham's to a local investment firm. I agree with Jay that there is a real opportunity here for the investors if they handle the marketing of this asset correctly.

If Brigham's can speak to the inner-child of those who remember the way Brigham's used to be, then they have a chance. I'm talking about no nonsense hot fudge sundaes as the core to its entire ice cream line - the kind served in a pewter sundae dish with the world's best hot fudge dripping down the sides (and, of course, whipped cream and a cherry). If you can get parents seeing Brigham's that way, you'll get them to drag the next generation in too. Of course, you can have all the foolish ice cream stuff available for the kids, but the primary "feel" of the chain should be the simple hot fudge sundae.

When I go to get ice cream I don't want to have to think if "Rain Forest Berry-Nut" is PC this week or not PC. I want to think of the feelings I had when my mom brought me there when I was nine years old - good, safe, happy feelings that I want to share with my own children as they grow.

As for Jay's other entry about Mitt and the Hacks, I have no problem at all with a newly merged and expanded state agency having a COO and a CFO along with an external affairs person and good legal counsel. If an agency is important enough to create and important enough to fund with taxpayer money, then it is important enough to be staffed with professional managers in positions that can really manage.

Without these professional managers, the REAL hacks (legislative friends and family) that have been there for 15, 20, 30 years will run the place in the same old way it always had been.

I say "good luck" to Mitt in his attempt to REALLY change the agency.

DUH!!!!!

CNN Breaking News reports:

Citing inconsistencies in her account, police say they believe there is no suspect at large in reported kidnapping of Wisconsin college student.

The Charade Begins to Unravel

Finally some journalists are waking up to the kidnapping hoax involving Audrey Seiler. The Journal Sentinel asks these questions:

Why did Seiler wait in the lobby of her apartment, then look outside before leaving around 2:30 a.m. Saturday?

Why did she leave her apartment door open and not take any personal items with her?

Where was she for the four days she was missing?

Was she driven away in a car, or did she stay in the marsh, within two miles of her apartment, the entire time she was missing?

What were the circumstances of her first meeting with authorities in the marsh?

Why aren't police saying more?

Come on, Audrey, let's have some answers.

Follow the Money: British Bettors Back Bush

British bookie site William Hill has George Bush the favorite at European odds of 1.53, Kerry at 2.37 and Nader at 101. A bet of 100 units on Bush would get you in return 153 with a Bush victory. Another Brit site has the same spread.

In American betting parlance, this would mean Bush odds at -188 and Kerry at +138, that is if you place a bet at -188, it means that you need to bet $188 to win $100 and a bet at +138 means that you win $138 for every $100 you bet.

Wisconsin Kidnap Hoax?

Audrey Seiler has been found alive. How do I know? Well, CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS, and every other TV channel has told me she was found alive four days after being kidnapped.

Of course, I knew she was alive all along because I don't believe she was ever kidnapped and I don't believe she was assualted (as she claimed) in February either. This abduction is a HOAX and it is pathetic to see the news channels treat it as a straight story.

If I am proved wrong, I will happily apologize to Audrey in this space.

Color me: Unimpressed

I am unimpressed by this whole 9/11 commission. With a money-making book deal casting a shadow over the primary "star-witness", I'm feeling more and more that this commission is becoming a joke.

Everything the commission has "discovered" thus far, I knew myself on 9/12: neither Clinton nor Bush took terrorism as seriously as they should have before 9/11 and citizens like us are all culpable in our nation's unpreparedness for that day.

Liberal Blogger: Madrid Massacre Bush's Fault

Ask the 500+ victims and their families of the Spanish train disaster if Bush has made the world a safer place. Unfortunately, with the abysmal state of the world's media, only a few will probably realize that Bush's small, puppet controlled brain had something to do with their suffering. It will take a leader who thinks and leads based on principles, not campaign contributions to show the world a set of examples, to restore the American archetypes of democracy instead of the archetype of violence that Bush has set in motion.

10, 9, 8, 7,6......

I am counting down to the first commentator or blogger to suggest that, ultimately, it is the fault of the United States (or President Bush) that all those people died in Spain. Let me check my watch....

Does Johnny Damon Have a Drug/Alcohol Problem?

A few weeks ago I heard an interview with Johnny Damon on WEEI Sports Radio down at the Red Sox's spring training camp. During the interview, Johnny Damon sounded (to my ears) either drunk or on drugs.

Now I read in today's Globe that Damon was benched during the season last year because the manager, Grady Little, thought that Damon was "engaging in too much late-night revelry".

Damon had this to say, ""Never one time last year was I incapacitated where I was so drunk that I didn't know what was going on...I'm smarter than that. I've been around. I've seen the toll it takes on guys. I'll go out and have a drink, but never was I to the point where it affected my game."

Sounds like what an alcoholic would say.

Between today's story and the interview I heard in February, I'm worried.

More Biased News Stories

This story reports that

"Teens who make a one-time pledge to remain virgins until marriage catch sexually transmitted diseases about as often as those who don't pledge abstinence, according to a study of the sex lives of 12,000 adolescents."

Actually, when the article attempts to explain the study's method it says the following:

The analysis found that in communities where at least 20 percent of adolescents pledged to remain virgins, the combined STD rate was 8.9 percent. In communities with fewer than 7 percent pledgers, the STD rate was 5.5 percent.

Isn't just as likely that kids are more likely to take the pledge to protect themselves in communities where STD rates and unprotected sex are already at high levels and that it is the OTHER 80% of kids that are driving up the teen STD rate?

Instead of "The pledge leads to unprotected sex" couldn't the study just as well be confirming "Where there are high rates of teen sex, many kids will take the pledge"?