Asymmetric

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John Hagee and Bill Donohue reapproachement
2008-05-14 01:23:00
John Hagee sent a letter to Bill Donahue: “After weeks of meeting with various Catholic leaders, and accessing scholarly literature on Catholic-Jewish relations, Pastor John Hagee has demonstrated an improved understanding of the Catholic Church and its history. In his letter to me, Hagee says, ‘I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.’ He specifically cites his emphasis of ‘the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews,’ and has pledged to provide a more complete and balanced portrayal going forward that will not reinforce mischaracterizations of the Catholic Church. And while he stresses that his invocation of terms like ‘apostate church’ and the ‘great whore’ were never meant by him to describe the Catholic Church, he acknowledges that anti-Catholics have long employed such language. “The tone of Hagee’s letter is sincere. He wan...
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Barack Obama get 90% of the black vote.
2008-05-13 02:23:00
I'm surprised that 10% would vote for Hillary. Why?Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Barack Obama , Barack , Obama , Black , Vote

Newsweek and the GOP onslaught- McCain response
2008-05-12 17:16:00
Man! Obama sure is lucky that he has more money and academia, most major newspapers, and almost all of the television networks on his side. He's going to need it when he goes against the vicious GOP attack machine this fall. Poor guy. In more evidence that I have, in fact, entered an alternate reality, Newsweek claims that the Republican attack machine, not theirs, is the scarier monster. Have they ever heard Howard Dean? Daily Kos? Huffington? How about using this Newsweek attack piece to preempt any McCain criticisms of Obama? I think this whole "GOP is meaner than us" is catching on amongst the easily self-deluded and self-righteous left. Here's the original Newsweek article. Below is the McCain campaign response by Mark Salter: Dear Jon, A useful way to read the piece would be to try to imagine you were a Republican reading it. The characterization of Republican presidential campaigns as nothing more than attack machines that use 527s and other means to smear opponent...
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Have you noticed that everyting Democrats say sounds stupid...
2008-05-12 17:15:00
...until they say "and the disastrous policies of the Bush administration" as in, "High taxes on oil companies will lower prices, and Iran wants peace, and we should fight Al Qaeda in Pakistan but not in Iraq, and high taxes creates jobs and...ummmm...McCain wants to continue continue Bush's disastrous policies."Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Democrats , Sounds , Stupid

Henry's Pajamas Media Article
2008-05-12 03:03:00
Blogging buddy Henry Gomez of Babalu blog has something on Pajamas Media today. He'd make a great addition to Pajamas Media. The banners might bother him- Babalu has one of the most functional blog designs out there. What is the position of the Cuban community towards post-Castro but Communist Cuba? What if things get a little better on the human rights front like in..., well..., no Communist country ever, but Cuba could be the first. Or, it could mix in a dash of capitalism like Vietnam and China. What then? Will productive people immigrate into Cuba like in the first half of the century? I'm pessimistic myself. I think Cuba as the second, third, or fourth best place to live in the Americas is a past it may never reclaim for a variety of reasons which I won't go into now. My thoughts at the time of the last Castro death "scare."Powered by b2evolution.
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Does double down mean lower taxes
2008-05-11 19:16:00
Democrats are still under the impression that lower taxes are what caused the mild, fully employed slowdown this year. How, exactly, will raising taxes while spending more help the economy? I don't mind being "on my own" if the one I throw my lot with is the federal government. And, I'm not on my own, if you think about it. I have my family, friends. Change means thousands out of your pocket to give to whomever Obama thinks is worthy. Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Taxes , Double , Lower

Happy Mothers Day!
2008-05-11 19:00:00
I appreciate the great things you've done. I'm glad I have a mother who took her responsibility seriously and did her best to raise me. I love you.Powered by b2evolution.
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Democrats continue Bizarro energy talk- economics quiz
2008-05-10 21:15:00
From here. The statement below is beyond bizarre. Maybe I fell into some Slider alternate reality. Sliders - The First and Second Seasons "Now it is a crisis for every American family," the Michigan senator said in the Democrats ' weekly radio address. She called the current energy situation "a crisis that doesn't just affect us at the pump, but also raises the prices of groceries, increases our home heating bills and squeezes small businesses trying to keep their heads above water." Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time Friday and gasoline prices rose above an average $3.67 a gallon at the pump. "Republicans want more drilling, more consumption and more tax giveaways for the big oil companies," she said. "Democrats say that those are exactly the policies that got us into this mess to begin with." She promoted the Democratic proposals for changing energy policy. Those call for: • Ending billions of dollars in tax breaks for big oil companies. • Forci...
More About: Quiz , Economics , Energy , Talk

TV Lost losing me
2008-05-10 02:19:00
Sawyer is one of television's great characters. The first season of Lost ranks with the best television. The second and third were also good, if not as fresh. Lost's small screen achievement is even more impressive when one considers that Lost could have been a seaside Falcon Crest with jungle love triangles, islandic scandals, and shore "tensions;" a claustrophobic MacGyver action show; or (shudder) a socio-political allegory (How about the islanders standing up to a McCarthy-like leader?). Instead Lost producers reached higher, combining elements of the previously mentioned genres and adding ladles of sci-fi, medium-heavy universal philosophical depth, brilliant use of sophisticated storytelling-fashback sequences, and, now, flash forwards. Their characters have fascinated- from the semi-Survivor-derivative Locke to the compelling and original Sawyer and Hurley. Sometimes, however, a story collapses under its own ambition (Matrix) and I have the feeling that Lost is swimming ...

Shill-proofing Asymmetric: Criticizing McCain:
2008-05-09 16:33:00
McCain isn't my "lesser of evils." I actually like and respect him; he's a good guy and one with whom I generally agree. But, I don't like being part of a drumbeat so I'm purposefully criticizing McCain: Generally: McCain has a sincere speaking style, but sometimes trips over his words, reminding us, to the detriment of McCain's campaign, of the difficulty our current commander and chief has with impromptu speaking. He's reduced his use of "friends" in speaking, but for a while, it was almost a verbal tick. McCain sprinkles his sentences with "breakers" like "I believe" or "if you will." He repeats jokes often. Specifically: McCain responded to Obama's "losing his bearings" comment by accusing Obama of slyly bringing up his age. Now, I believe this. Unless it's something that Obama says regularly, somebody gave him a phrase that denotes "meandering" and connotes dementia. However, it's not good for McCain to worry about "intentions" or hidden insults. Doing so makes ...
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Cuban Solidarity Day: May 21
2008-05-08 17:47:00
Help support your Cuban brothers and sisters. Babalu Blog has a post on Cuban Solidarity day. Check it out.Powered by b2evolution.

Obama participates in opposite day.
2008-05-08 04:25:00
Even dumber than Obama saying that Republicans, whose leader didn't want anything to do with legitimate issue, Wright, play dirty politics. Even more of a stretch than Republicans being the "divisive" ("two Americas? tax breaks for the rich?) party is the idea that Democratic policies would lower the price of gasoline. It's like putting Britney Spears in charge of a youth group because the girls are too slutty. Exactly how is "going after" oil companies going to lower the price of gas? How is restricting drilling in Alaska, the gulf, and everyplace else going to lower gas prices? Truly Bizarro. Prager has a good commentary on the speech. Powered by b2evolution.
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Hulk: The worst superhero ever.
2008-05-08 03:16:00
The fact of the matter is that the Hulk has never been an interesting superhero. The main reason, I think, is that the Hulk is, essentially, a super-strong raging drunk. He doesn't have any control over himself. That means: No clever escapes; no plotting; no electrocuting robots with an overhanging power line- just "smashing." Hence, the pathetic lineage: The comic book (except for Hulk 451, which was brilliant): The "hugely" popular cartoon that nobody remembers and looks like it was animated by the Hulk himself: The awfully repetitive television show: The first Hulk film: A movie so bad, they had to make it twice: Finally, the next sure-to-be clunker. Let me guess: A conflicted, anguished scientist; the amoral, military-industrial complex; an "epic" battle between two similarly-matched supers. It's enough to make me wish for a Hawkman movie. Hawkman, please.Powered by b2evolution.
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Turn out the lights, The party's over- for both Hillary and the GOP
2008-05-08 01:47:00
Well, it was fun while it lasted, but the 2008 Democratic primary is now over. Some thoughts: 1. In-fighting did hurt the Democrats- that's what I mean by "party over" for the GOP; it was a once-every-forty-year gift (1968) from the Dems to the Republicans. The fraction of my life that cares about politics is both nervous and slightly down at the Dem primary's resolution. Nervous because we have to really go at it now- with a zeitgeist disadvantage for the GOP. Down because I won't get to read liberals attack other liberals. 2. I think Obama's win had something to do with Democrats wanting the contest to be over. If the primaries started over again and Hillary didn't lie about Bosnia, Hillary would be the favorite. 3. The Democrats have begun their devious, dishonest attacks (It's a Stalinist who suggests that only Republicans have an attack machine [below]). For instance, Obama attacked McCain "for running a sleazy campaign based on 'fake controversies' and 'distract...
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Obama and the Teamsters Union
2008-05-07 05:52:00
While Obama was the long shot, he suggested that, as president, he's interfere to help the Teamsters union bring back corruption or, as they insist, reduce costs. I don't think it's too much of a big deal, but it does further make it harder to swallow his anti-special interest, "new politics" lines.Powered by b2evolution.
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What do Thoreau, Obama, and Guevara have in common?
2008-05-07 02:42:00
They're all on Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge's wall. Che explanation. Powered by b2evolution.
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The left stuck on stupid on Wright and Hagee
2008-05-07 02:38:00
From the same intellectual heritage that analogized Bush with Hitler, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R, and Marines and Storm Troopers, we have the latest absurd equivalency from Roland Martin. Either the leftists who equate Hagee and Wright are cynically shilling for Obama or too stupid to contrast Beethoven and Brittney. I would buy the comparison of Hagee and Wright if: 1. ...Hagee was talking about temporal things like A.I.D.S. or psychometry instead of theology and... 2. ...McCain called him his "mentor" and dedicated a book to him and... 3. ...if he had actually said anything specifically against Catholics. Let's look at a couple of things. 1. This theological discussion discussion by Hagee: John Hagee cited three things, Crusades, Inquisition, and Holocaust. They're not all Catholic things. If it was an attack on Catholicism, why the Holocaust? He explains it clearly on the audio (with Dennis Prager): Hagee interview. Does he sound like nutball Wright?Powered by b2evolut...
More About: Stupid , Left

Michelle Obama speech. Hitchens commentary
2008-05-06 19:36:00
Michelle Obama is the same kind of polarizing figure Hillary Clinton was, but without the political savvy. Besides her obnoxious "Elect Obama so we won't suck" attitude, she reminds me of the, yes, sometimes "bitter" workers at the DMV. And, you know how guys joke about their subservience to their wife ("Yeah, I have to check with the boss." You can see it clearly on TV commercials- A wife allows her husband to have the big screen TV after hiding it somewhere.)? Well, it's only funny if it isn't or couldn't be true; you don't hear women say, "I have to ask permission from my husband" or "He'll beat me up if I do that." Barack and Michelle joke around like that a lot, but I don't think it's funny because I suspect that Barack really is scared of Michelle. Heck, who wouldn't be? Anyways, more here, here, here. Hitchens here. And an amazing Michelle on the Hugh Hewitt show.Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Commentary , Michelle Obama , Michelle , Speech

McCain on the judiciary- speech.
2008-05-06 16:15:00
Good, conservative stuff. Nice, fair, issue-oriented dig at Clinton and Obama. Read his philosophy on his web site. Campaign spot has the actual speech.Powered by b2evolution.
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McCain reaches out to me- and other Hispanics: gamers next?
2008-05-06 02:43:00
I admit to having been apprehensive, but now that McCain's reached out to me, I can grab hold. I like that he wants to talk to all Americans- however they want to distinguish themselves -unless they're totally repulsive like the KKK or Reverend Wright or William Ayers. La Raza is "The Race," but I don't think they take the implications of their name seriously. Half of them are probably married to non-Hispanics . Anyways, he's checked off blacks, "hillbillies," conservatives, evangelicals, military. I'm not "pro" gay, but he should go there next and talk about his differences with their agenda. He could pick up a more flattering suit while he's at it. Hmmm, after that? How about gamers and role-players? We're pretty ignored (especially by girls). Well, until somebody needs technical support, that is. -Hey guys! How about a quick game while we're waiting for McCain. I wonder what his healing policy is? I paid 50 gold pieces for a simple lay on hands. And, I need relief f...
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Iron Man Heaviest Metal at Box Office
2008-05-05 12:30:00
1 Iron Man (2008) $101M $104M 2 Made of Honor (2008) $15.5M $15.5M 3 Baby Mama (2008) $10.3M $32.3M 4 Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) $6.13M $44.8M 5 Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) $6.01M $25.3M 6 The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) $4.2M $45.1M 7 Nim's Island (2008) $2.75M $42.5M 8 Prom Night (2008) $2.5M $41.4M 9 21 (2008) $2.1M $79.1M 10 88 Minutes (2007) $1.6M $15.4MPowered by b2evolution.
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Miley Cyrus (AKA Hannah Montana) and Vanity Fair controversy
2008-05-05 04:41:00
The picture in question. My daughter loves Miley Cyrus and I'm happy she does: Cyrus and her Disney Channel (and station) mates make the best quality, most decent comedy television and pop music today. Cyrus is also a gust of fresh air compared to the destructive Spears, Lohan, et. al. She makes a point of being a Christian in what must be a very faith-challenging business. About the Vanity Fair picture controversy: I'm glad that Cyrus is concerned about her image. She could have downplayed her responsibility to my daughter, but didn't. When I first heard about the picture controversy, I didn't think that it was too much of a big deal. Yes, she's under age and, as a high school teacher, I know the last message girls need is: "be sexier," but the pictures weren't in the nude; How much worse could they be than Brooke Shields' Calvin Klein ad from the eighties? One of my fondest teenage memories. Then, I saw the first picture above and thought about the issue some mor...
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Keyes compares himself to an abortion after losing coveted Constitution nom
2008-05-05 01:29:00
Proof that not all nuts are on the left. Talk about strained analogies! This guy ran against Barack Obama. Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Abortion , Constitution

Obama-Clinton Star Wars youtube parody
2008-05-04 23:15:00
Hilarious. Thanks to Fausta. My Democratic convention scenario (Michael Jackson is Howard Dean.). Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Youtube , Parody , Star Wars , Wars , Obama

Knives don't kill people:
2008-05-03 22:05:00
...criminals do: Boris Johnson, the new mayor of London, made fighting crime his top priority as he officially took over his new role. “It is the job of me as Mayor to lead the fightback against it and that is what I want to do and I hope you will all join me in doing it,” he said after signing the declaration of acceptance as mayor. Johnson, who triumphed over Ken Livingstone by six points in Thursday’s poll, said the “tragically self-destructive” behaviour of some of the city’s children was its number one issue... ...The formal signing ceremony at City Hall came just hours after a 15-year-old boy was found stabbed to death in a stairwell in south London, the latest incident in a wave of knife-crime among young people in the capital. Powered by b2evolution.
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Movie Review: Iron Man (Ironman): Step aside Transformers
2008-05-03 19:47:00
For most of Iron Man 's 126 minutes, I was confident that it would overtake Spiderman as the best film adaptation of a superhero comic book. I'm still undecided after a slight intensity and creativity dip towards its end, but I'm certain that anybody with the slightest interest in this genre will find Iron Man as thrilling as a ride underneath an F-22. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a hard-partying, frivolous genius- more Mark Cuban than Bill Gates- who applies his considerable smarts towards the world's second oldest profession- making weapons. Militants attack Stark's convoy during a business trip to Afghanistan and take him captive. Another prisoner, Dr. Yinsen (Shaun Toub), saves Stark's life by rigging a car battery to Stark's shrapnel-filled heart. Stark initially refuses to build a “Jericho” missile for the terrorists, but accepts the project after some water-boarding (one of the allusions to current controversies; Blackwater-type guards are another.)....
More About: Movie , Transformers , Movie Review , Review

Caribbeans may decide presidency again
2008-05-02 08:29:00
Cuban-Americans elected George Bush in 2000. This year our Boricua (Puerto Rican) brothers may decide the fate of the free world with their 65 delegates in the Democratic race. I wonder what Jamaica will do to ensure a role in the 2012 election.Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Presidency

Moveon attack ad lies about McCain
2008-05-02 04:00:00
Wow. What can I say about this ad? You know it's a lie. McCain should demand a denunciation from Obama whom Moveon endorsed. Or, maybe, McCain is waiting for the general election to hang Moveon.org around Obama's neck. Powered by b2evolution.
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Kerry, Obama, and McCain: A study in contrasts.
2008-05-01 18:55:00
Karl Rove's assertion that John McCain is too reluctant (private) to talk about his impressive personal story (good in person, not so good in an election) contained the following story: Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple." The break was designed to shatter Mr. Day's will. He had survived in prison on the hope that one day he would return to the United States and be able to fly again. To kill that hope, the Vietnamese left part of a bone sticking out of his arm, and put him in a misshapen cast. This was done so that the arm would heal at "a goofy angle," as Mr. Day explained. Had it done so, he never would have flown again. But it didn't heal that way because of John McCain. Risking severe punishment, Messrs. McCain and Day collected pieces of bamboo in t...
More About: Study , Obama , Kerry

How can you worry about the economy when black porn stars are on the loose
2008-05-01 02:35:00
"We now have a small army of male black porn stars that are sifting through five, ten, fifteen thousand women," he said. "One man can now genocide the wombs of thousands of women," infecting them with sexually transmitted diseases that leave them barren. He calls it "Porn mule womb slaughter . . . the most effective weapon of mass destruction." From here.Powered by b2evolution.
More About: Stars , Economy , Black , Worry , Porn Stars