The TOXIC Mud Pit

Indeed. What a pioneer this woman is for getting pregnant, taking the RU-486 abortion pill, and talking about her experience as it happens on a forum better known for pithy commentary regarding the truly mundane. But don’t accuse her of doing it as a PR stunt…I’m sure this, the YouTube video, the CNN appearance, and the book she’s writing (look out, Ernest Hemingway!) are all just odd coincidences. Uh huh. She claims that no one wants to talk about such a taboo subject, suggesting that the visceral reaction to her effort is proof of just that, but I think the big problem here is the fact she talked about it while it was happening. The lackadaisical attitude that demonstrates, as you will see in her video below, is utterly repulsive. ‘Yeah, theoretically it could’ve been a baby, but whatevs.’ Disgusting. It’s not the same as having a miscarriage (one is a conscious decision), and trivializing it as such is an insult to those who’ve gone through that hell.

Two videos for your viewing, um, pleasure. First up is the interview on CNN, then her YouTube debut. Some people will do just about anything for a cheap 15 minutes, I guess…too bad the death of an unborn child is seen as such an opportunity:

Yes, those poor eschewers of all things animal-based. Every vegan I’ve ever known has been, well, a little on the strange side; they often give dirty hippies a bad name. How could you not mock them? Have you seen the crap they eat? I wish I could say only in Great Britain, but unfortunately this insanity is likely to spread:

VEGANS and teetotallers are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups, under legislation championed by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister.

Members of cults and “new religions” such as Scientology, whose supporters include the film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta, would also be offered protection, as would atheists…

The commission added that the recently founded International Church of Jediism, with 500,000 followers worldwide who base their philosophy on the Star Wars films, would not qualify. Beliefs had to be heartfelt.

Too bad, Star Wars nerds. Better luck next time the Equality Minister(!) engages in the stupid. Frankly, if standing outside movie theaters for days, dressed in costume, doesn’t prove your beliefs are “heartfelt”, I’m not sure what will. I’m not for discrimination, obviously, but this strikes me as going a little overboard. It’s the slippery slope in all its glory. Why not just say discrimination in all forms is wrong and be done with it?

And how to determine what is “discriminatory”? Would every restaurant have to offer veggie burgers? Would schools have to offer something other than milk with lunch, for all the vegan offspring? (Tang, maybe?) Would tossing a steak at a vegan-out of love, naturally-now be a hate crime? Will vegans and Scientologists now be given preferential treatment during hiring due to a history of discrimination, at the expense of the Star Wars “fans”? They already have no hope of ever attracting a woman…are we really prepared to put them at a disadvantage regarding employment, too? Frankly, Jedi mind tricks and the Force are bound to come in a lot more handy on the job site than Mr. Lettucehead’s Squash-Tofu Casserole Surprise. Right?

…let real child starve to death:

A computer-addicted couple let their real life baby starve to death while they raised a virtual daughter online, police said today.

The couple spent 12 hours a night at internet cafes while their three-month-old daughter was left home alone at their apartment in Suwon, South Korea. They were arrested today.

Police said they had become hooked on living online and were raising an avatar daughter through their profiles on a Second Life-style game called PRIUS.

Sometimes there are no words…

According to Senator Harry Reid, that is. I’m guessing there are lots of families across the country that don’t consider this quite the momentous occasion he does:

“The discussion page of free thinking individuals…” has certainly seen better days. Blog posts that engage in petty name-calling. What a great way to foster dialogue, you know? And the uncalled for, personal attacks against commenters? Disagree with a contributor there and you might be immediately labeled an ‘ignorant fool’…or something far worse.

Funny how those who profess to be tolerant, ‘free thinking’ types are usually anything but.

It lives. Yes, Obama is still pushing health care reform, promising this afternoon to do “everything in his power to make the case for reform.” Of course, he’s given 35 major speeches on reform, so that case has been made-and rejected-by the American people. But, he knows it’s right, so to hell with what the lowly peons think. It’s full speed ahead to reconciliation, which by golly actually polls worse than ObamaCare.

Voting for such politically toxic legislation, and using reconciliation to ram it through, is tantamount to a kamikaze mission, but that is exactly what the President-who himself won’t be on the ballot this Nov-is asking congressional Democrats to do. Will they go for it? The real question mark is the House, and as of now it doesn’t look like it:

The least promising recruiting pool of all are the conservative Democrats who voted against the bill. Arguably last week’s bipartisan meeting at Blair House (morning session, afternoon session) was held entirely for their benefit. But are they grateful? Don’t count on it. After the November House vote, the New York Times assembled a very revealing chart that showed no fewer than 31 of the 39 House Democrats who voted nay represented districts that went for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election. Subtract Gordon, Tanner, and Baird, and you’re left with five potential targets: Scott Murphy, D-N.Y.; Glenn Nye, D-Va.; Larry Kissell, D-N.C.; John Barrow, D-Ga.; and Artur Davis, D-Ala.

Let’s assume Pelosi picks up all five. She’s still short by about eight votes. Let’s suppose she picks up all five, plus the three retiring members, plus the two dissenting liberals. (That isn’t going to happen.) That’s 10 votes, which still probably isn’t enough.

Of course, Obama has proven he’ll do anything to twist their arms, but Pelosi faces an uphill climb to get the necessary votes. House progressives don’t like the lack of a public option, nor the cosmetic GOP additions to the bill. Blue dogs, on the other hand, are feeling the heat at home and would prefer a piecemeal approach, if anything, not to mention the abortion issue. Here’s Bart Stupak (D-MI), whose amendment barring public funding for abortions was stripped from the Senate bill, declaring the Senate bill DOA in the House. Of course, we’ve heard similar pronouncements countless times over the past several months, so all bets are off:

Letting a child direct air traffic:

I’ve been surprised at the number of comments I’ve seen that suggest this isn’t a big deal. Oh, just another tempest in a teapot, mountain out of a molehill, etc. Um, not to this flyer. What it shows is a flagrant disregard for the seriousness of the job. Sure, the father was right there, and if the kid had said something wrong it would’ve been immediately corrected. And no, the pilots didn’t mind. But, air traffic control isn’t something to screw around with, regardless. Was this “cute”, too?

Aeroflot Flight 593, was a “Russian Airlines”[1] Airbus A310 passenger airliner, registration F-OGQS, operating on behalf of Aeroflot, which crashed into a hillside in Kemerovo Oblast on 23 March 1994. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.

Voice and flight data recorders revealed that the pilot’s 15-year-old son Eldar Kudrinsky, while seated at the controls, had unknowingly disabled the A310’s autopilot’s control of the ailerons, which put the aircraft into a steep bank, and then an uncontrolled dive. The pilots were not aware of the partial disconnection of the autopilot, which occurred with no audible alarm, and did not regain control of the aircraft.

A shock? Really? Who’s  shocked?

A majority of Americans think the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll.

56%    OK, so I am a little surprised the number isn’t higher. Predictable, there is a large difference between the number of  Democrats(37) and Republicans(70)  who feel the government is a threat; with Independents’ (63) numbers more closely resembling the Right.

Anyone know if there was a similar poll taken during the previous presidency?

I caught a lot of it (yeah, slow day), and don’t worry, you didn’t miss much. The One descended from Mount Olympus to hold this extraordinary affair for the cameras, a PR maneuver designed to push the umpteenth version of health care “reform” across the finish line. If he was expecting more political cover for congressional Dems to move forward though, particularly via reconciliation, I think he’s going to be disappointed. The Democrats relied way too heavily on anecdotal sob stories, in my opinion, attempting to drive the debate through typical bleeding heart kabuki. Obama did well, filibustering the proceedings as best he could, but at times appeared petulant and downright condescending. (Unless you live in a cave, that should be no big shocker.) The GOP did fairly well, too, I thought, despite not having nearly as much time as Barry and the Dems did to make their case.

Three vids for your viewing pleasure. The first is Obama’s childish swipe at McCain:

Yeah McCain, don’t bother to call out his Highness on the promises he made during the campaign about silly notions of “transparency” and an “open process”. Election’s over, dontcha know?

Next up is probably the GOP’s best moment, from WI Rep. Paul Ryan. A wee bit on the wonky side, but well worth the time: Read the rest of this entry »

Yikes:

“The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children,” said Marshall, a Republican.

“In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest.”

Don’t think it works that way, Bob. I’m as anti-abortion as they come, but this is just, well, extremely dumb. He’s subsequently regretted the “misimpression” his “poorly chosen words may have created”, but you can’t un-ring a bell. Should he resign, as all these petitions and idiotic Facebook campaigns are pushing for? Sure…as long as every other politician who has said something stupid and offensive goes, too. I’m all for cleaning house, and that’ll just about take care of it.

Ill-advised stupid and the accompanying outrage has been around a lot of late. Drudge recently featured a blurb from Harry Reid, who said we needed the so-called “jobs” bill because unemployed men tend to become abusive. Clumsy? Yes. Sorta true, of both men and women? Yes. Deserving of the attention the remark is receiving? Nope. Sarah Palin, recently, took an unfunny line in a recent episode of Family Guy and turned it into some extremely veiled shot at her son Trig, who has Downs. Here is the offending clip…I’m not even sure what the joke is supposed to be. That all of Palin’s kids have Downs? Or that all former Alaska governors have children with Downs? Of course they had her in mind when they wrote it, but it ought to be dismissed as the lazy writing on a stupid cartoon that it is. And, of course, the whole thing has been turned around on Palin as she is being accused of playing the victim card.

Whatever.