Saint Homer?

Homer Simpson 'is a true Catholic'   He is an idle, pea-brained glutton with a permanent craving for doughnuts and Duff beer, but Homer Simpson has been declared a true Catholic by the Vatican's official newspaper.

“ But in an article headlined "Homer and Bart are Catholics", the newspaper said: "The Simpsons are among the few TV programmes for children in which Christian faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes." The family "recites prayers before meals and, in their own peculiar way, believes in the life thereafter".Yes, he relentlessly humiliates his evangelical Christian neighbor Ned Flanders. It quoted an analysis by a Jesuit priest, Father Francesco Occhetta, of a 2005 episode of The Simpsons, The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star, which revolved around Catholicism and was aired a few weeks after the death of Pope John Paul II. The episode starts with Bart being expelled from Springfield Elementary School and being enrolled in a Catholic school where he meets a sympathetic priest, voiced by the actor Liam Neeson, who draws him into Catholicism with his kindness. Homer then decides to convert to Catholicism, to the horror of his wife Marge, the Rev Lovejoy and Ned Flanders. The episode touches on issues such as religious conflict, interfaith dialogue, homosexuality and stem cell research. "Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic," insists L'Osservatore Romano.  [Full Article] ” D'oh! "... among the few TV programmes for children .." ?  It is, unlike other prime-time animated shows (e.g. South Park, Family Guy) something you can watch with kids in the room, but certainly not "for" children. Especially now that it showed Homer voting for Obama, dear God.  As an aside, this is the first time in the YouTube era that I was unable to find even a clip from a Simpson's episode.

R-22 and the Chicoms

FUK KING KWAK

A popular legend from my yoot was that the Japanese established the city Usa in order to ship products marked "MADE IN USA."   This story from Chicago Boy Dan from Madison  is not apocryphal. “ To review, the original intent of the law that was enacted as of January 1 of this year was to eliminate the manufacture of any residential A/C that contained the refrigerant R-22. Unfortunately the law was written poorly, and quickly the Chinese manufacturers flooded the market with air conditioners that were shipped dry, meant to be charged with R-22 in the field. R-22 is still available at relatively low prices. [full] ” What ticks me off  is no domestic company, evidently, took similar advantage of the loophole in that stupid Algore foolishness, or even knew about it, although they're scrambling now.  FUK KING KWAK!

But, but how do it know?

cloistered, confused, cockamamie

Co-host Mika Brzezinski, The New York Times’ Sam Tanenhaus, CBS’s Lesley Stahl, columnist Mike Barnicle, and Newsweek’s Jon Meacham were initially stumped when Stahl prompted the discussion.

la la la la la la la la la la

Who Am I

WHO AM I I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children with numerous women. I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in me. My mother died at an early age from cancer. Although my father deserted me and my mother raised me, I later wrote a book idolizing my father not my mother.   Later in life, questions arose over my real name. My birth records were sketchy. No one was able to produce a legitimate, reliable birth certificate. I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguising myself as someone who really cared about them. That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life. I embarked on a new career.   I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who read my memoirs, that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child. I became active in local politics in my 30's then, with help behind the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into anything. I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me, as though I were a magnet and they were small roofing tacks. I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This bolstered my ego. At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy... I was very critical of my country in the last war, and seized every opportunity to bash my country. But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do better, and every poor person would be fed and housed for free.   I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. It was the free market, banks and corporations. I decided to start making citizens hate them and, if they became envious of others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.   I called mine "A People's Campaign". That sounded good to all people. I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular support. I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope', together we could change our country and the world. So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities". My true views were not widely known and I kept them unknown, until after I became my nation's leader. I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings  and examined those people I associated with. I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the world. And the world learned the truth. WHO AM I? Tim W

Confess, sinners

post secret katharsis

Via IOTW  I went to Post Secrets, where people send postcards conataing a dark secret.  There's not too many right now, and no way of telling whether they're even real, but it took me back to one of my earliest Blog attempts at interfacing with ny community. Confess to Father Rodge This didn't do well, mostly because the few hits a day C&S received came from family and,  you know.   The Catholic church's sacrament of confession has proven mental health benefits, similar to unloading to a shrink.  So to "testimony" in many evangelical churches, where church members stand and describe their transgressions.  While this may have a salutary effect for the testifier, if the transgression was, say, boinking another member of the congregation ..  well not so much on that end.  People are not going to confess the really good stuff  to Father Rodge via e-mail, because .. you know.  So let's bring back another tool   Here.  Confess in public, and feel better. Peace be with you. provided by flash-gear.com

Cheap thrills

guilty

Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann and the MSNBC all-stars, et. al.,  have collectively an audience of a few million people. They  garner disproportionate attention from the new media however.  Why?  I think they appeal to the same audience that went to see Jackass this weekend.  The same reason traffic is slowed to a crawl by accident-scene gawkers.  People like reading about disasters. And because their antics provide cheap fodder for lazy bloggers looking to get readers jumping up and down, and smashing Hummel figures and coffee cups in outrage.  Bloggers like me.

A fine CPUSA whine

Communists warn of new McCarthy era

A too, too delicious red whine

“ US communists called for unity against McCarthy-style witch-hunts at the weekend. Their appeal came in the wake of a series of raids on the homes of 12 peace activists during which computers and photographs were seized. The Communist Party USA (CPUSA) said the September 24 raids had nothing to do with protecting the US people against terrorism and "everything to do with chilling the long-cherished tradition of the right to dissent." Too bad they don't identify the organization these "peace activists" belong to, because I will assure you they are dealt with in depth here.  “ Drawing a parallel with the McCarthy period when CPUSA leaders and members were jailed or fired from their jobs and blacklisted, it said the hysteria and persecution "severely curtailed democracy and free speech, stained our constitution and distorted political discourse for a generation." "McCarthy era" is a rather nebulous tag.  What does it mean?  Offhand, I can't think of anyone who was jailed as a result of the McCarthy senate hearings.  Communists identified by the earlier HUAC (House UnAmerican Activities Committee) who were harassed or lost their jobs, like Sean Penn's father Leo,  were fired by studios they worked for,  under the correct assumption that American moviegoers would not take kindly to seeing their names on film credits.  The iconic "Hollywood Ten" were card-carrying communists who took instructions directly from Uncle Joe Stalin.  As unregistered agents for a hostile foreign government, they're lucky they  didn't share the green room with Julius ans Ethyl. All this is moot of course.  Now that Eric Holder has been alerted to the activities of these rogue FBI agents, it is they whose jobs are in peril.

Snark+

The Single Best Decision Obama Has Made

Coal Mine USA

If the Chilean Mine Had Been in Colorado Here-to-with, a hypothetical chronology.

“ Day 1:  Press Secretary Robert Gibbs meets with the White House press corps.  When queried about the possible cause of the collapse he indicates that it is likely the result of the lax enforcement of mine safety rules by the previous administration.  Day 19:  EPA Director Carol Browner reports that the construction of a road to the proposed bore location will require an Environmental Impact Statement.  She promises an expedited review, one that perhaps could be completed within 60 to 90 days. Day 51:  At the urging of President Obama, the House passes bill that establishes the Mine Safety Regulatory Agency (MRSA).  The bill authorizes the expenditure of $10 billion on mine safety issues.  The actual expenditure on mine safety consists of a $50,000 grant to researchers at UCLA to study the effects of sunlight deprivation on the libido of South African diamond miners.  The balance is for grants that allow individual states to defer dealing with unfunded public employee retirement benefit obligations Day 69:  The world watches as the first miner is lifted to the surface.  Vice President Biden is on hand.  As the first miner exits the rescue capsule, the Vice President welcomes him back to "Wyoming" and implores him to take off his sunglasses so that the world can see his smiling face.  Unfortunately, President Obama is not able to attend.  He needs to complete his round of golf early so he can see Michelle and friends off on their three-week trip to Spain. ” Every day, a new body slam.(American Thinker) Marc Miller

STROKE PSA

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Received this in an e-mail from a friend, and thought it worth passing on.  Might save a life. “ RECOGNIZING A STROKE   Thank  God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR  . Read and Learn!   Sometimes symptoms of a  stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,  the lack of awareness spells disaster. The  stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage  when people nearby fail to recognize the  symptoms of a stroke.   Now doctors say a  bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three  simple questions: S  *Ask  the individual to SMILE. T  *Ask  the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE  (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out  today.) R  *Ask  him or her to RAISE BOTH  ARMS.   If  he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these  tasks, call emergency number immediately  and describe the symptoms to the  dispatcher.   New  Sign o f a Stroke -------- Stick out Your  Tongue   NOTE:  Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the  person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue  is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the  other,   that is  also an indication of a  stroke. Frank&Evvy

Weak Link

our weak link

And what a boy!

And what a boy!

Unhinged Left

MAUREEN DOWD UNLEASHED ON 'MEAN' REPUBLICAN WOMEN

Unhinged - Click for Column * Dramatiztion: Actual Maureen Dowd old, wrinkled

GUILTY

Barbarian at the Gate 1998: Sec. Cuomo pushes 'affirmative action' mortgage loan policy

Yet more video evidence that the Clinton Administration was the nexus for the subprime mortgae failure that's brought this nation to its knees. As reward for his part in the scheme, Cuomo thinks he should  be governor of New York. “ President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo answered questions in 1998 at a press conference regarding HUD policy that would ensure that banks could not discriminate against low-income minorities when considering individuals from this group for housing loans.     "To take a greater risk on these mortgages...yes. To give families mortgages they who they would not have given otherwise?...yes." Mr. Cuomo is then asked if this people in this group could have gotten the loans at all in the first place. In a telling response, he answers:     "They would not have qualified, but for this affirmative action on the part of the bank...yes." Mr. Cuomo then confirms for a reporter that the affirmative action is indeed for minorities and that he expects the default rate to be higher than the rest of the portfolio:     "It is...by income it is mostly by minorities...yes.     With the $2.1 billion lending that amount in mortgages which will be a higher risk and I'm sure there will be a higher default rate on those mortgages than the rest of the portfolio." (WaTimes)

OSU BLUES

We're trying to cheer Alear up

Menswear Floor

Trek-Mix

Door Stop

Solar System in 1/2 mile

In case you're feeling significant

CLICKEM

This page shows a scale model of the solar system, shrunken down to the point where the Sun, normally more than eight hundred thousand miles across, is the size you see it here. The planets are shown in corresponding scale. Unlike most models, which are compressed for viewing convenience, the planets here are also shown at their true-to-scale average distances from the Sun. That makes this page rather large - on an ordinary 72 dpi monitor it's just over half a mile wide, making it possibly one of the largest pages on the web. This means you'll have to do a bit of scrolling if you want to find the planets, but don't despair. They are reasonably bright and labeled, so you can probably catch them flashing by in the blackness even if you are scrolling fairly fast. Speaking of Pluto, I know it's no longer technically a planet, but it's still included in this model for reasons of tradition.

A Proper Charlie

Perrier Commercial

HOMMES FOUS

Tom Mann

If Holder isn't impeached, this election will have been for naught

Congress Catches On to DOJ’s Keystone Kops Show The curtain has been pulled back, and the Department of Justice spin that they are doing everything they can to protect military voters has become a laugh line.

“ Friday was a very bad day for the people responsible for the Keystone Kops operation protecting military voting rights inside the Justice Department. The three ranking members of the House of Representatives with oversight over military voting issues and the Justice Department sent a devastating letter to Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez. “Public records” and media reports, like the many here at PJM, have “painted a picture of widespread noncompliance with federal law aided and abetted by an enforcement authority that is entirely ineffective,” the congressmen say. Strong stuff, that “aided and abetted” comparison, for it is a term mostly used to describe a criminal enterprise. The problem for Eric Holder is that in just a few weeks, these three will probably shed the title “ranking member” and replace it with “chairman.” ”

Floss

Unplugged

Doo-dah, Doo-dah

U.S. drone attack kills a top Pakistan Taliban leader recently warned that terrorists would launch attacks in the U.S. and Europe "very soon"

Double Fun

Double Fun Saturday A Man's Fantasy ...

Enjoy ladies

Daley Walks Away from Democrats

Sound The Retreat Bugler

“ Gesturing toward the magnificent steel, glass and concrete towers of Chicago's Loop during a conversation with the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board, Mayor Daley noted that "almost 95 percent" of the skyscrapers were private-sector constructions. Then he declared this self-evident truth: "I don't think Democrats realize how important business is to our economy and to our cities." Chicago Sun Times

Condi Rice is back on the plantation

I'm only human. Sorry.

“ Rice rolled her eyes at the notion that Obama is a closet Muslim, and she defended him from criticism - led by former vice president Richard B. Cheney - that Obama has weakened the country. "Nothing in this president's methods suggests this president is other than a defender of America's interests," Rice told an audience that included presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett. [Looks like Stockholm Syndrome sent her back to the plantation] Aside: Google removed the wookie picture from general Michelle search results.You have to say "wookie"

FOX NEWS BIAS CRAP

Here's yur bias

Verum Serum's post, The War on Fox Lives: HCAN (Health Care for America NOW!) Takes a Swipe at FOX in New Jack Black Video  led me to  Journalism.org, The Pew Research Project for Excellence in Journalism).  The specific reference was to the chart (lower right) that exampled MSNBC's coverage versus Fox, which pretty much captures where the bias is.  I'd never been to this site before, so like a kid in the new toy store I randomly grabbed some other charts.  Nothing surprising here, but validation is always a good thing.

The  Jack Black agitprop  is so cheesy it made me laugh.

Booyah

U.N. official: U.S. is $1.2 billion in arrears at U.N.

and condescending, blah-blah-blah

"... you may call it arrogance ... ."

I do.  Hank. I Own the World

... other forces are at work.

"This is not science; other forces are at work." - Hal Lewis

“ This is an important moment in science history. I would describe it as a letter on the scale of Martin Luther, nailing his 95 theses to the Wittenburg church door. It is worthy of repeating this letter in entirety on every blog that discusses science. Anthony Watts It's not necessary for everybody to get so wrapped up in the science of the global warming fraud that it distracts from life, especially when people like Anthony Watts do it for us.  It is necessary that we know the truth about what's been going on however.  The resignation of a previously strong advocate of man caused climate change was a major big deal in that community, yet garnered nary a mention in the Algore media. I don't think any of us, me included, appreciate just how close we came, and still could, to abject slavery. “ While Copenhagen and its excesses rage, a quiet revolution is starting. Indeed, not so quiet now. It looks like it is getting ugly inside with the public airing of the resignation of a very prominent member who writes:     I don’t believe that any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion. I would almost make that revulsion a definition of the word scientist.     …     In the interim the ClimateGate scandal broke into the news, and the machinations of the principal alarmists were revealed to the world. It was a fraud on a scale I have never seen, and I lack the words to describe its enormity. Effect on the APS position: none. None at all. This is not science; other forces are at work.- Hal Lewis ” Hal Lewis: My Resignation From The American Physical Society – an important moment in science history

An Observation

My wife's younger friends are aways asking, "Rodge, what is it you notice first in a woman?"

In this instance I noticed, in descending order: She's married She has nice nails Apparently has a hickey visible just over the bodice  ... ... which means she's having an affair. She's fashionable Has clean hair Is holding the pistol properly

It's a wonder she can work her mouth with all that Botox ...

BOXER: I've voted for trillions of dollars in tax cuts, including the stimulus!

Let's not allow our personal animus for this b_tch keep us from enjoying the movie. Take a deep breath, and remember -- Everybody in this room, nay, the entirety of the United States (some don't care)  know she's a stone liar who says anything that suits her purpose. She's so over the top here, it's a wonder Wolf Blitzer's head didn't fall off after she spun it 180º. It's truly wondrous. She says "I've been there!" - several times  (twenty-eight years in fact, which of course is the problem).  Another place this septuagenarian hag has been, obviously, is to the Botox clinic where massive quantities were  required to plump up that fetid flesh to the point where pints of Vaseline smeared over the camera lens could work its magic. Carly Fiorina kicked her bony ass. Enjoy.  Laugh.  Revel in her discomfiture.  Stick pins in her likeness.

Cal Berkeley stickers

By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them..

Sender missionary swears this car belongs to the Dean of Admissions at Cal Berkeley.  I choose to believe him.

Baconing

I think, valid, patriotic political statement.

Commie Blow-Hards

Russian Commies II blow up their own weapons!

Like they invented the idea.

Our  Retaliation! But this crap is deserving of the real deal

UM Jumper

Today's Vicarious Thrill

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Sweet Dreams About Big Bones

Political Machines

Las Vegas Slots and Voting Machines compared

Despite Democrat howls about "rigged machines" every time they lose an election, it is they who have scuttled every attempt to secure voting process integrity.   I suspect that any legislation that would safeguard voting machines would meet the same fate as voter ID.  Where pols once used walking around money to buy votes from registered voters, now billions of dollars are spent buying the votes of illegal aliens (who sometimes vote for other illegal aliens). Absentee ballots for the military are routinely "lost" in states where democrats are at risk, but there is no accountability for those ballots  routinely "discovered" when a losing democrat demands a recount.  Yeah, the opportunity to cheat exists for both major parties, but the fact is that 100% of every major voter election fraud case in the past 1000 years has been perped by DemocRats.  In this coming election it's my feeling, and yours too if I'm not mistaken, that every democrat who wins election by a slim margin will have done so fraudulently.  It pisses me off.

As luck would have it ...

A Bad Example

My wife suggested that I might be more readable if I wasn't such an smart ass like some of my regular readers. "Like Who?" I asked?  "DougM"   Oh my.

Morning boner

Via DougM via HotAir via KenB in NC

Stirring the pot here boss

A fine kettle!

Is it justice when you can guess the outcome?

This highlights the sorry-ass condition our justice system is in.  Last week when I read  Federal Judge George Steeh Rejects Challenge To Key Elements Of Health Care Law, I immediately and correctly guessed "Carter or Clinton" (it was Clinton who appointed him).  Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson allowed challenges in 20 states to go forward. Guessed Reagan or Bush?  Reagan.  The Clinton judge used this reasoning in rejecting the challenge: The Commerce Clause allows congress to regulate the act of not engaging in economic activity?  Arguing that a person can not guarantee that he or she won't do something? The Reagan judge states: "In this order, I have not attempted to determine whether the line between constitutional and extraconstitutional government has been crossed," Vinson, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, wrote in his ruling.I am only saying that ... the plaintiffs have at least stated a plausible claim that the line has been crossed." You tell me who the asshat is here.  And it's predictable. Democrats have successfully politicized the federal courts, just as they have most state courts.  I can think of but two remedies. Well, three, but one is unthinkable in the USA.

OMG - Real Economics

Breaking: Truth Printed in NYT!

Either a snoozing Professor Mankiw, or a NYT reader dropped dead from shock? Breaking: Truth Printed in NYT! is how Ann Coulter linked to I Can Afford Higher Taxes. But They’ll Make Me Work Less.  Written by Harvard professor N. Gregory Mankiw, who admits to "earning more than $250,000 a year," it is indeed odd to read this in the Times. Here's an excerpt. “ Suppose that some editor offered me $1,000 to write an article. If there were no taxes of any kind, this $1,000 of income would translate into $1,000 in extra saving. If I invested it in the stock of a company that earned, say, 8 percent a year on its capital, then 30 years from now, when I pass on, my children would inherit about $10,000. That is simply the miracle of compounding. Now let’s put taxes into the calculus. First, assuming that the Bush tax cuts expire, I would pay 39.6 percent in federal income taxes on that extra income. Beyond that, the phaseout of deductions adds 1.2 percentage points to my effective marginal tax rate. I also pay Medicare tax, which the recent health care bill is raising to 3.8 percent, starting in 2013. And in Massachusetts, I pay 5.3 percent in state income taxes, part of which I get back as a federal deduction. Putting all those taxes together, that $1,000 of pretax income becomes only $523 of saving. And that saving no longer earns 8 percent. First, the corporation in which I have invested pays a 35 percent corporate tax on its earnings. So I get only 5.2 percent in dividends and capital gains. Then, on that income, I pay taxes at the federal and state level. As a result, I earn about 4 percent after taxes, and the $523 in saving grows to $1,700 after 30 years. Then, when my children inherit the money, the estate tax will kick in. The marginal estate tax rate is scheduled to go as high as 55 percent next year, but Congress may reduce it a bit. Most likely, when that $1,700 enters my estate, my kids will get, at most, $1,000 of it. HERE’S the bottom line: I Can Afford Higher Taxes. But They’ll Make Me Work Less. Wow.  $250K+.  I coulda been a contender, but heard teachers weren't paid well.  If he starts teaching this to his students, who knows; Harvard grads might start making a positive contribution to society.

Speaker Coulter?

A "Capitol" Idea!

“ Republicans have an opportunity to do something extraordinary. Something exemplary. Something that would demonstrate their commitment to the Americans who put them in office. Republicans, upon assuming power, should nominate an incoming freshman to be speaker of the House. It would be a bold move but it is the kind of thing that can remake the GOP — in the image of the country. It would loudly declare that Republicans recognize that the people of this nation want to govern themselves and not be slaves to political establishments from either side. - Daily caller. ”

A "capitol" idea, truly.  I would love to see it, but here's an idea that sends the same message, and may have a better chance of succeeding.  Since there is no constitutional requirement that the Speaker be a MOC, why not really go outside the box?  There are myriad choices. How does Speaker Palin sound?  Speaker Limbaugh?   I'm feeling faint here boss.

Woman who fly plane upside down bound to have crack up - Charlie Chan