Dances With Coyotes, Eh?

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In a rather bizarre incident, nineteen year-old Taylor Mitchell, an up and coming Canadian Folk Singer, was attacked and killed by a pack of coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park on Tuesday.

Chip Bird, the Parks Canada field unit superintendent for Cape Breton, said hikers saw the coyotes attacking Mitchell and called 911. She was airlifted to a hospital in Halifax, where she died about 12 hours later, he said.

Mitchell was recently nominated for Young Performer of the Year honors by Canadian Folk Music Awards. She was touring the Maritime provinces and had a break between gigs to go hiking Tuesday, her manager, Lisa Weitz, said in an e-mail.

"She loved the woods and had a deep affinity for their beauty and serenity," she wrote.

Canadian Folk Singer Taylor Mitchell

According to Bird, the area where the singer was attacked was popular and well trafficked. The park authorities are hunting down the coyotes and looking for other possibly aggressive animals in the area.

"Public safety is our primary concern," he said.

He said no other coyote attacks had ever occurred in the park. "We've had coyotes approach people too closely," he said, and about six years ago one nipped a person.

That animal was killed because of "lack of fear," he said.

But Tuesday's attack is "unprecedented and a totally isolated incident," he said.

Although a tragic event, Michael O'Brien, wildlife manager of furbearers and upland game for Nova Scotia, wants to assure us that, "Coyote attacks on humans are extremely rare."

It is "not expected or normal behavior," he said, although he said there had been aggressive incidents in Nova Scotia before, but no deaths.

Illness, injury and familiarity with humans can affect an animal's behavior, he said.

So this isn't something we need to worry about, it was just a clear-cut case of professional criticism. Next up, Simon Cowell murders everyone in Seattle.

Community Outreach

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On Saturday, a fifteen year-old girl was savagely beaten and raped for two and a half hours by young thugs, while others stood and watched. The gang-rape occurred on the Richmond High School campus in Richmond, California. Five suspects have been arrested. Out of the five, three are considered juveniles; however, they will all be charged as adults.

Described as "a churchgoer who struggled to fit in," the girl was left unconscious under a bench after the assault. According to one of her friends, there were more than a dozen men standing outside the entrance to the gym where the homecoming dance was being held. Neither the police officers, nor the security guards deemed it important to check them out. She further noted that the principle himself looked outside, saw them gathered there, and did nothing.

On Wednesday, students, teachers and area residents gathered to defend their city's image.

Those gathered at Richmond High School witnessed "a response that is really from the heart, and also from the gut, given the mourning, the sadness, the anger that has arisen since Saturday," Prishni Murillo, executive director of Youth Together, an area youth leadership organization, said at a news conference.

"We do not want this incident to be an excuse to further criminalize the young people of this city," Murillo said.

Senior Norma Bautista echoed that sentiment.

"We are not criminals," she said. "We come here to this school because we want [there] to be a change."

Lorna McClellan, a Richmond High teacher, said it was wrong that the community was being portrayed as a place that does not stand up for victims.

"Yes, something horrible and atrocious happened on our campus, and yes, blame lies with the school officials, with the teachers, with the district, with the police, with the students were afraid to speak up. But it's important to realize that our community realizes this is a problem, and we are taking active steps to fix it," McClellan said.

Gagan said Wednesday that police expect to make further arrests.

I don't know about you, but that really just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. They've all come together as a community to show their support and mourning for what has happened to this poor girl, and they know there's a shared blame to bear for all the officials, but they realize it's a problem and are taking active steps to fix it.

Almost as good as the Melbourne Police Department.

That's all well and good, but where in the hell was this community when a fifteen year-old girl was getting gang-raped and beaten for TWO AND A HALF HOURS? Maybe, just maybe, if their precious little community didn't resemble the town of Lago from High Plains Drifter, then we could all get behind them and understand how something like this could happen.

The police estimate that no less than ten people were involved in the actual assault, while at least another ten stood and watched the assault while making no attempt to call 911 or intervene in any manner. Excuse me if I don't start applauding the community.

The victim was found unconscious and "brutally assaulted" under a bench shortly before midnight Saturday, after police received a call from someone in the area who had overheard people at the assault scene talking about the incident, police said.

This is possibly one of the most senseless acts to occur in years. There was absolutely no reason for this to happen. It was a high school homecoming dance. There were four police officers and several security guards, and it was too much to ask for them to secure and patrol the perimeter. The principal saw the strange group of men standing outside the gym and did nothing. Some of the students even brought it to the attention of the security and police and they still did not investigate. It seems to me like the Richmond police and school officials are about as interested in the community as the ten plus people who stood there and watched in apathetic cowardice, but we shouldn't let this incident be an excuse to further criminalize the young people of their city.

It seems to me that it's not just the young people of their city who need to be criminalized, that's just where it starts.

Oy! Vampires!

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The police in Melbourne, Australia are offering a $1 million reward for any information which will lead to the arrest of Mark Adrian Perry. Mr. Perry is wanted for the murder of Shane Chartres Abbott. Abbott, a male prostitute who twilighted as a vampire, raped Mr. Perry's girlfriend, bit off part of her tongue, and then left her unconscious on the floor of a South Yarra hotel room.

Abbott was shot dead the day he was set to appear at trial for the rape. The shooter is now serving a life sentence in jail. Mr. Perry is now wanted for allegedly ordering Abbott's execution.

Deputy Commissioner Ken Jones says a number of people know Perry's whereabouts and police are keen to close the case on the killing.

"[Mr Abbott] was murderered in broad daylight on a street and you imagine the collateral damage that could have been inflicted on families around that area at the time," he said.

It is believed Perry is living interstate and he has been seen in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia since he left Victoria in 2007.

Deputy Commissioner Jones says a number of people know where Perry is.

"They know his movements and his whereabouts and I would urge them to come forward," he said.

Mr Abbott's murder was at the centre of a 2007 police integrity inquiry into allegations high-ranking police officers leaked details about the investigation.

There was also an allegation that a police officer gave his address to a hitman.

He looks like Johnny Lee Miller from Dracula 2000...coincidence?

Okay, so let's do the math here. Vampire Hooker rapes Woman. Woman's Boyfriend hires a Hitman to kill Vampire Hooker. Police leak information about the investigation illegally. Police Officer gives Hitman Vampire Hooker's address. Hitman kills Vampire Hooker. Hitman goes to jail for life. Now Police are looking for Boyfriend who hired Hitman, offering $1 million reward. News at 11.

How do I get a job in the Melbourne Police Department? It looks like they have everything set on autopilot over there.

Like Horny Goats to the Slaughter

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The English are weird. I'm just going to put that right out there. Not that we don't have our own oddities, but you have to admit, this makes a whole lot more sense when you realize where it happened.

Joanne Hale, 39, gave her husband Peter an herb called horny goat weed before cutting his throat in woodland at Stoke Bishop, Bristol, on 27 December 2008.

Bristol Crown Court heard she then left the scene to have a romantic liaison with a man she had met on the internet.

Hale, of Stapleton, will be sentenced at a later date.

The trial jury heard that after taking the aphrodisiac, Mr Hale was led to the woodland by his wife believing they would have sex.

Instead Joanne Hale inflicted a 12cm (4.7in) cut to his throat and then stabbed him, leaving a wound to his chest which caused lung collapse, cardiac arrest and heart damage.

Christopher Armstrong, the surgeon who treated Mr Hale, said that he had come "close to death".

At least in America, we only use the internet to make asses out of ourselves because people are picking on Britney Spears, or to find our long-lost sons so we can sleep with them...like I said, the English are weird.

The rats told her to do it...

That horny goat weed must be some primo stuff, because I'm still trying to figure out at what point you don't tell someone there's no way you're going into the woods to have sex.

After the attack, she left Mr Hale in the care of a passer-by and went to Bristol Parkway railway station to meet Philip Sudol, a married postman from Leeds, with whom she had been having an internet relationship.

Mr Sudol told the court of his shock as he arrived back at the Hales' home in Hawksmoor Lane to be met by a large number of police.

"I heard the police say there had been some sort of incident, and she had been accused of being involved with that incident and they arrested her on attempted murder.

"A couple of minutes later someone came over and arrested me as an attempted murderer - I was quite taken aback by that. I'd been in Bristol for an hour, maybe less," he said.

Mr Sudol was subsequently released.

Joanne Hale declined to give evidence at her trial but she had told police that Mr Hale had cut his own throat after an argument.

She was convicted by a majority verdict.

I see, the old he-cut-his-own-throat-and-left-himself-for-dead defense. She probably should have doused him with petrol and set him on fire. The jury would have believed spontaneous combustion.

The Witches of East India

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There are some people who have a gullible, naive belief that mankind and society has progressed to a level where certain actions and behavior are impossible to fathom in this day and age. I hear people say all of the time that The Holocaust couldn't happen again, or The Inquisition would never be allowed to happen today. I hear them rationalize this by saying that we as a society have moved into an age of intellectualism which transcends spiritualism and superstition. They say that we live in an age which is ruled by science and its loyal atheist students no longer believe in the existence of a higher power and are no longer held back by the chains of mysticism.

I can only laugh at this. Religion is bigger than ever. The number of people in the World who are religious versus those who aren't is staggering. Sure, the atheists have a large voice in the Media and people like Bill Maher making mainstream movies in their behest, but in a World where practically every major conflict being waged is between two sects, do we really think that anyone cares what Richard Dawkins or Bill Maher have to say?

The World is in dire straits as economies plummet, and as more and more people become unemployed and impoverished, they will turn to their faith more than ever. When faith in their God is the only thing they have left, how well received will the atheists who's agenda is to stamp out religion be? At that point, it's going to be like five-year old poking a 2000lb Kodiak bear, complete with adamantium exoskeleton, with a toothpick.

All hypothesis aside, I direct your attention to the grist of this article. In a village in India called Pattharghatia, five women were victimized in the streets yesterday. They were stripped of their clothing and marched up and down the streets while the local citizenry beat them mercilessly and forced them to eat human feces. Their crime? Well, Witchcraft naturally.

Local police said the victims were Muslim widows who had been labelled as witches by a local cleric.

The incident occurred on Sunday in a remote village in Deoghar district.

Correspondents say the abuse of women who are branded as witches is common, but rare footage of the incident has caused outrage across India.

Police went to Pattharghatia village after being informed about the incident by a group of villagers.

After deciding upon what witches were made of over a couple of bowls of curry, the villagers decided to grab their torches and pitchforks and show society just how "progressed" we really are. It was possibly the most fun they'd had since they were extras on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Don't look now, but I think we just time-traveled to Salem, MA circa 1692.

"On Sunday morning the victims were taken to a playground where hundreds had assembled to watch the ghastly incident," deputy inspector general of police Murari Lal Meena told the BBC.

"No one in the mob came forward to rescue the victims as they were being stripped and beaten up," he said.

The victims are now under police protection.

Police say that people in Pattharghatia believe that certain women in their village are possessed by a "holy spirit" that can identify those who practice witchcraft.

"These women recently identified five women from the same village as being witches who practised witchcraft and brought miseries to the area," a police official said.

Soon, an unruly mob broke into their huts, dragged them out and started beating them up.

Footage of the incident has been aired on television channels in India prompting outrage.

Hundreds of people, mostly women, have been killed in India because their neighbours thought they were witches.

Experts say superstitious beliefs are behind some of these attacks, but there are occasions when people - especially widows - are targeted for their land and property.

India, population 1,198,003,000, Member of the Nuclear Club since 1974...nothing to worry about. After all, we're progressed, right?

Chins That Kill...On The 11 O'Clock News

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In an article from the L.A. Times today, NBC affiliates are pitching woe as they see their 11 o'clock news programs declining in ratings. According to the affiliates, the source of this sudden decline in ratings is The Jay Leno Show. They are stating that because the show is the lead-in to their news programs and is gathering poor ratings, it is directly affecting the subsequent ratings for their news programs.

Call it the Leno effect. NBC's controversial decision to shift the late-night talk show host to 10 p.m. has been billed as a savvy business move that enabled NBC to substitute a low-cost talk show for expensive scripted dramas. But now it's playing havoc with many of NBC's more than 200 affiliates, where Leno's weaker "lead-in" is undermining audiences of 11 p.m. newscasts. News programs are crucial for local stations, which draw upon them for a third of their revenue.

Leno's new show averaged about 5.6 million viewers through the first four days of last week, less than half the audience it attracted when it premiered and more than a third less than the audience that NBC drew last season with its longtime schedule of drama shows. The network says the declines are in line with expectations and cautions patience as viewers discover the new time slot for the talk show king.

Local stations, whose goodwill the network depends upon to keep Leno's show on in every market, could soon grow antsy. Already hit by the recession, which has dried up advertising by such onetime mainstays as auto dealerships, retailers and mortgage companies, NBC affiliates may not be able to tolerate the financial pain that Leno is causing to their late-night news programs -- and may be forced to consider their own program alternative for the 10 p.m. hour.

The real question to be asked here is: Does this count as a valid argument? It's obvious the stations are suffering from the programming change, but can Leno really be blamed for this? Due to the economy, advertising has taken a huge hit, which directly effects television. As a result, NBC is trying something new with The Jay Leno Show to mix things up and still provide entertainment. It's also a way to give some new blood a shot in the Late Night slots.

The show is struggling to find an audience at the moment because it's a new concept, and most people are stuck in the 10 o'clock drama mindset. However, if you listen to what the local NBC affiliates are saying, it basically simplifies down to the theory that people watch whatever news program comes on after the show they are watching during the 10 o'clock slot. So if CSI:NY is better than Leno, they going to watch the CBS affiliate's news instead of ABC's or NBC's.

Bruce Campbell is going to have to change the title of his Bio.

At what point doesn't this fall on the affiliates' shoulders? If their news was really as good as they like to tout, then wouldn't people switch anyway? This is 2009, you have to figure 98.9% of the populace have a remote controlled television, and I'm probably being too generous. In reality it's probably more like everyone has a remote controlled television. Do you really think people are that lazy that they won't switch the channel to better news considering they don't have to get up to switch it? I have my own personal favorite as well, and when 11 o'clock comes around, if I'm watching television, I'll switch the channel no matter what channel the 10 o'clock show I was watching was on.

Currently, all of the best shows are on CBS and FOX. The only show I watch on NBC is 30 Rock, and I don't watch anything on ABC. I've watched The Jay Leno Show twice now, and to be honest, it's not all that different from his Tonight Show, it's just on at 10 o'clock. Leno is a likable, funny guy, and I've generally enjoyed his show. However, like most people, my decision on which late night show to watch is completely dependent upon the guests for the evening, but there have been numerous times where I would watch Jay's monologue and then switch over to Letterman for his guests--and vice-versa.

I think what's really hurting NBC right now is Hulu. With the invention of Hulu, you can watch all the shows you want to watch on a given night, and then if there was something on NBC or FOX which was competing, you can watch it the next day on Hulu. Since Hulu is a deliberate venture between NBC and FOX, they can't really blame anyone but themselves for it. However, it's obviously playing a part, because it recently hit the media that they're discussing charging for access to Hulu.

Of course it doesn't help that NBC just made some really bad choices in their Fall Lineup. So bad that they ended up having to bring 30 Rock and Chuck back earlier than scheduled to make up for it. Just the cancellation of Life was ridiculous. It was a good show with great writing, and I know a lot of people who really liked it. They could have easily given it a better slot and pulled the ratings up, but they chose to cancel it, along with several other shows, so they could save a buck and try their new experiment with Leno. Unfortunately, these are times when you have to try to play it safe, and they may well end belly up before this experiment is over.

As for the affiliates, it's very easy to try and blame NBC and Jay Leno, but the simple truth of the matter is, if they want people to watch their 11 o'clock news, then the burden is on them to make better news programs. NBC can't be blamed for that.

Firing Back

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It's obvious that using the phrase "fires back" (or conjugated variations) sells. Not only am I kicking myself for not naming this blog Firing Back, I think I'm going to write a book now and entitle it Firing Back. It doesn't really matter what the book is about, just that it has that title. It will be the number one Bestseller for 47 weeks in a row. I haven't even finished this article, and I already know it's going to be my most popular article just because I've named it Firing Back.

Anita Dunn is someone who was no one before she "fired back" at Glenn Beck today. Today, she is evidently the White House Communications Director. I think this is the part where I go, TA DA! or SURPRISE!!!, but I could be wrong, so I won't.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- White House communications director Anita Dunn fired back at criticism from TV commentator Glenn Beck on Friday, saying that a Mao Tse-tung quote Beck took issue with was picked up from legendary GOP strategist Lee Atwater.

"The Mao quote is one I picked up from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater from something I read in the late 1980s, so I hope I don't get my progressive friends mad at me," Dunn told CNN.

As for Beck's criticism: "The use of the phrase 'favorite political philosophers' was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat -- at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing."

No one else was laughing either, so don't quit your day job. See that? That was ironic, because we all know we'd be better off if you did. Don't worry though, one man's irony is another man's poor attempt at trying to seem clever.

Dunn, taped in a speech in what appears to be a church, said the leader's philosophies were a guidepost for her own strategy on politics. She also praised the philosophy used by religious icon Mother Teresa.

"The third lesson and tip actually comes from two of my favorite political philosophers: Mao Tse-tung and Mother Theresa -- not often coupled with each other, but the two people I turn to most to basically deliver a simple point which is 'you're going to make choices; you're going to challenge; you're going to say why not; you're going to figure out how to do things that have never been done before."

According to the article, this sent Beck into a tirade. My opinion, is if Public Figures are going to act and be as stupid as Celebrities, they should have to endure the wrath of Joan and Melissa Rivers as well. Trust me, it would take Joan Rivers fifteen seconds just on Ms. Dunn's hair alone to reduce her to tears.

I don't get it, Beck. She looks like a very funny person...

This brings me to my particularly favored part of CNN coverage:

But it's not just Dunn, a Democrat, who has used Mao as someone she reads.

Media Matters for America, a liberal media watchdog group, points out that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, also a Fox News contributor, quoted Mao in a 1995 Roll Call profile.

"War is politics with blood; politics is war without blood," Gingrich said, citing Mao.

Karl Rove, another Fox News contributor, wrote in a December 2008 Wall Street Journal op-ed that President Bush "encouraged me to read a Mao biography."

Let me get this straight. Quoting someone or reading a book about them is the same as saying they are your favorite political philosopher and that you turn to them for inspiration when you find yourself at life's crossroads. Am I missing something?

So using a quote from Hitler to make a point or watching an History Channel biography on Hitler is the same as saying, "I love Mein Kampf. It's my favorite book. I read a part of it every night before I say my prayers and go to bed. It's more like The Bible to me than...well...The Bible."?

Nice work CNN, you cracked the case.

Obama Strikes Back!

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In a town hall meeting in Louisiana today, Barack Obama "fired back" at his critics. However, it was not made clear which model of Nerf gun he used. In yet another iconic display of community organization, irony abounded as Obama was caught talking on the job:

"Now, just in case any of you were wondering, I never thought any of this was going to be easy," he said. "You know, I listen sometimes to these reporters on the news (who say) 'Well, why haven't you solved world hunger yet?'"

As the crowd laughed, he said: "Why hasn't everybody done it? It's been nine months. Why? I never said it was going to be easy. What did I say during the campaign? I said change is hard. And big change is harder."

In what seemed a reference to Republicans opposed to Democratic healthcare proposals, Obama accused them of "trying to stand in the way of progress."

"Let me tell you: I'm just getting started," Obama said.

Well, in case you were wondering, Barack, I wasn't wondering. My question to you wouldn't be, "Did you think this was going to be easy?" My question to you would be, "Did you care?" Your job is to lead and run the biggest, most influential nation on the planet. What are you doing to fix the problems we are facing? The problems facing this nation get worse with everyday that passes. It's been nine months now and you're "just getting started"? If that's not a textbook case of gross incompetence, I don't know what is.

Slacking off is not an accomplishment, otherwise, I'd be The President.

Here's something you can file under irony: Obama is "firing back" at the critics who have said he has done nothing and has zero accomplishments by doing the same thing he has done for nine months--that's right!--nothing. Apparently, running his mouth incessantly and creating sound bites is his idea of what his job description is. It also seems to be the only thing he is good at. Well, that's not fair, he's also good at spending money we don't have and putting us deeper in debt. So, two things are better than one. Right?

What is the problem here? Did he peak too early? What is it that he doesn't get? He is the President. He won. Why is he still campaigning?. He is not a community organizer any longer--Stop organizing. Start presiding!

Instead of spending gobs of money on payoffs, kickbacks, and budgets guised as an Economic Stimulus Plan, or trying to pass a 900 billion dollar socialized medicine plan that isn't going to solve a single problem, why not focus on the economy and get it repaired? He needs to seal the aerial vortex he calls a mouth and actually do something.

At the end of the event, a young schoolboy named Terence Scott asked Obama, "Why do people hate you?"

"Well, now, first of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me now," Obama replied. "I got a whole lot of votes."

"But you know, what is true is if you were watching TV lately, it seems like everybody's just getting mad all the time," Obama said, blaming the climate in part on politics and on concerns among Americans about losing jobs or their healthcare.

"And when things are going tough, then, you know, you're going to get some of the blame, and that's part of the job. But you know, I'm a pretty tough guy," he said.

Some of the blame? Really. Well, it's not like it really matters anyway, because any blame placed on Obama will merely get shifted to the Bush Administration. Oh, but Barack is "firing back" right now...because he can't hide or shift the fact that he hasn't done anything. It's not GW's fault that Obama is as worthless as a parka on a sunny day. So who is he going to blame now? The Republicans are out, because he doesn't need them. The Democrats control it all.

For once, he is right about one thing. Change is hard. Barack Obama is finding out just how hard it is to change his story.

The Debating Game

Since when did making a completely pointless, irrelevant rebuttal to something become an "in" thing?

Man #1: I like chocolate.

Man #2: Oh yeah? Well the sky is blue!!!!

Is this insanity or stupidity? I can't figure it out. When was the exact point where society failed on a level where we actually think it's okay to speak our minds when we completely lack the faculties to engage in such a process?

The correct process for a debate is one person makes a statement, and then the other person makes an opposing statement. In order to compete in the debate, the opposing statement must be in direct correlation to the original statement.

Man #1: I like chocolate, it is the best.

Man #2: The subject of taste differs from one person to the next, which means it is completely dependent upon personal opinion. Where chocolate may be "the best" to you, someone else could prefer vanilla. Either way, it is an issue of opinion and not fact. Personally, I prefer vanilla.

In today's society, there is an increasing opinion that you can actually win an argument by subverting the issue with nonsensical, irrelevant vapor. Even worse, people witness this behavior every day and don't speak out against it. Ignorance, like mushrooms, grows best in dark, damp places. Every time we don't shine the light on it, we're asking for some monster Death Caps.

Furthermore, when did derision and feigned astonishment become greater than facts and figures? Have we really lost the ability to comprehend that throwing out random numbers means nothing? Where's the hard data? Where's the proof? A person can say whatever they want, it doesn't make it true. Likewise, if someone speaks the truth, and presents his statements with facts and hard data, merely saying it's not true does not qualify as an appropriate response.

Man #1: The Earth is round. Here is a picture of the Earth from Space.

Man #2: The Earth is round? HA! Where did you learn this? Books? Does anyone even read those anymore? Seriously, look it up on my website, the Earth is completely flat. Round...wow. How long did it take you to Photoshop that picture?

And that's why they named you Dick...

Debate in politics today is nothing short of insanity. It's lie until someone calls you on it, then choose one of two responses:

A. Act like nothing was said and continue on with your lies.

B. Call the person who spoke up a liar, and then continue on with your lies like you weren't just exposed.

This is because there is no longer debate. A debate is a discussion with two opposing views. Politics today is about facts and lies. Today's politicians are career politicians. They've all taken classes on public speaking and debate. They've all practiced profusely and basically made this their career. Yet the single reason why the whole system is failing right now, is because you can't win a debate of lies.

In order to win a debate, you have to have solid ideas with data to back them, which will appeal to people's common sense. When you present something to people rationally, they generally react in a positive manner. If you're lying, nothing you say is going to add up, and people are going to reject not only what you've told them up until the point they realized you were lying, but they will reject anything you have to say beyond that point.

This is why the realm of politics is completely failing right now. This is why nothing is being done, and why nothing will be done. It's not from one issue to the next; it's from one statement to the next. Who is right and who is wrong differs so much from one minute to the next that it all becomes a blur, and then not only do you not know who to trust, you don't care. At that point, you are done. You don't care what any of them say, because you don't trust any of them.

We live in a country where if you're currently holding a political position, you are a completely untrustworthy, twisted, crooked, lying malefactor. The severity of this is merely dependent upon how long you've been in the business, how much you've accomplished in that time, or how high you've risen.

However, this doesn't matter, because people are actually stupid enough to play The Party Game. They act like whether they're Democrat or Republican is the same as if they're a Colts fan or a Raiders fan. It doesn't matter how crooked or depraved the Democrats are because I'm a registered Democrat and have been for years. They're my team, so whatever they do is fine by me as long as we win.

The simple fact is, it doesn't matter whether you're Republican or Democrat. The house needs to be cleaned out. They all need to go. The Two Party System has failed. Until we realize that and take action, nothing will be done. If we've ever lived in a time when things needed to be done, it's right now.

Jurisprudence

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Today the Nobel Prize Jury defended their decision in giving President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize. After reading their comments and what they feel is their defense, it's quite obvious Norway either exists on another planet, or is in some time-capsule ala Brigadoon.

So many accomplishments, so little time...

The comment I felt which said it all was from committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland:

"We simply disagree that he has done nothing," committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told the AP on Tuesday. "He got the prize for what he has done."

Jagland singled out Obama's efforts to heal the divide between the West and the Muslim world and scale down a Bush-era proposal for an anti-missile shield in Europe.

"All these things have contributed to - I wouldn't say a safer world - but a world with less tension," Jagland said by phone from the French city of Strasbourg, where he was attending meetings in his other role as secretary-general of the Council of Europe.

He said most world leaders were positive about the award and that most of the criticism was coming from the media and from Obama's political rivals.

"I take note of it. My response is only the judgment of the committee, which was unanimous," he said, adding that the award to Obama followed the guidelines set forth by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite, who established the Nobel Prizes in his 1895 will.

"Alfred Nobel wrote that the prize should go to the person who has contributed most to the development of peace in the previous year," Jagland said. "Who has done more for that than Barack Obama?"

Well if this is indeed the case, and he really wants an answer...I have contributed more than Barack Obama to the development of peace. If the awarding of this year's prizes are dependent on your actions for the previous year, then Barack Obama was not even President yet, and all he had done was win the election. That in no way is a contribution to anything.

It also means the other issues they're bringing up in their defense are completely disqualified, because those are things he's supposedly done this year, which are false nonetheless, but let's not let the facts get in the way.

So it looks like Saturday Night Live was right, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for not being George W. Bush. Congratulations Mr. President, job well done.

Educated Idiots

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In yet another Op-Ed piece by Paul Krugman entitled The Uneducated American, we are told that the problem with today's education system is that we need to throw more money at it. Because, after all, that's how you fix any problem. More money, bigger government.

As with most of Krugman's articles, he leads with a strong, truthful first paragraph that you can agree with. Then flies off to Pluto with the traveling space circus complete with Mexican Mariachi band in tow.

If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that word would be “education.” In the 19th century, America led the way in universal basic education. Then, as other nations followed suit, the “high school revolution” of the early 20th century took us to a whole new level. And in the years after World War II, America established a commanding position in higher education.

There are many problems with the education system in America, but they are hardly going to be solved by throwing more tax dollars at them. Let's start with the Teacher's Union. Public Education is a state run institution. Tax dollars fund it. Explain to me why a union is allowed to exist in a government-run public institution? Thanks to this gigantic blunder, a safe haven has been created for sociopathic imbeciles, who shouldn't even be trusted as Walmart security guards, to be in control of our children's futures.

There’s no mystery about what’s going on: education is mainly the responsibility of state and local governments, which are in dire fiscal straits. Adequate federal aid could have made a big difference. But while some aid has been provided, it has made up only a fraction of the shortfall. In part, that’s because back in February centrist senators insisted on stripping much of that aid from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aka the stimulus bill.

Then there's the education itself. We don't teach facts and knowledge in the classroom anymore. Instead, we teach opinion, political correctness, and social misanthropy. We also don't teach reality in the classroom. There are many ideological mantras we have over-zealously spread throughout the years in this country, which have really come home to roost. The biggest being: You can grow up to be anything you want.

I realize that you watched Perry Mason reruns when you were a child, and you really want to be a Lawyer. However, there are thousands of lawyers who come out of law school every year with no hope of finding a job. Why aren't we counseling and promoting people to educate themselves in a field that needs people? Especially if we're going to be giving them government grants and scholarships to fund their education.

Let go of the cat, Paul. What happens on Pluto, stays on Pluto...

When everything's said and done, you can't force people to do the smart or useful thing, but if they want to do something else, we don't have to fund it with government funds. They can pay for it on their own.

Another deep rooted issue, is there's a major gap between high school education and college education. By the time most kids graduate high school, they're not even close to prepared for college. Most of them end up having to take 100 level prep courses to raise themselves up to where they need to be, which causes a greatly added expense to their already expensive education.

So what should be done?

First of all, Congress needs to undo the sins of February, and approve another big round of aid to state governments. We don’t have to call it a stimulus, but it would be a very effective way to create or save thousands of jobs. And it would, at the same time, be an investment in our future.

Beyond that, we need to wake up and realize that one of the keys to our nation’s historic success is now a wasting asset. Education made America great; neglect of education can reverse the process.

So what should be done?

First of all, we need to completely reform the education system. Throwing money at it isn't going to help one bit. You might as well put a band-aid on a gangrenous, sucking chest-wound. From the curriculum up, it all has to be reformed and reinvented. We need a strong education system which teaches our children everything they need to prepare them for the World, and more important, for college. We need an education system which takes into consideration that these children will be moving on to college, and make their education fluid from kindergarten to PhD.

Beyond that, we need to wake up and realize that the key to our nation's success was quality over quantity. It was our drive and ambition which led to pushing our boundaries and creating the epic quantity and excess we've enjoyed. The minute we started sacrificing quality, the whole thing has been falling down like a house of cards.

Something For Nothing

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In what at first appeared to be either a preemptive April Fool's joke or an article in The Onion, President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Waking up to this news has made me physically ill. The absurdity of giving someone such a prestigious award for absolutely nothing is not only mind blowing, it completely depreciates the worth of such an honored award. It is clear there is nothing of value or worth in this World anymore. It is all a joke. Everything.

"...and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

"It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not." --from the will of Alfred Nobel

Sociologically, Nobel prizes hold a vast amount of meaning and worth. There have been controversies over the years, and there are things which might make you question their validity. When you see someone like Yasser Arafat receive it, or even Al Gore for his convenient lie, and then realize Mahatma Gandhi was passed over five times, you might be a little skeptical. However, giving the award to Barack Obama who has accomplished nothing, when the qualifications expressly read "the person who shall have done the most or best work," how can you not see this as a travesty?

What has Barack Obama done? I'm not just talking what has he done to promote peace, what has he done--period? Nominees have to be in by February 1st. Obama took office on January 20th. That means he was President for a whopping 11 days when he was nominated. He's now in his ninth month and he has achieved absolutely nothing, yet he's given the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel committee should be ashamed. They have defecated on everything that this prize has ever stood for, and everyone who has ever received it.

So much for the "Europe hates the US" garbage the Left was spewing when The Olympic Committee shot down Chicago last week. This pretty well blows that right out of the water.

So much for that...

You might say it speaks to a man's character that he is only 48 and has already written two autobiographies. However, what speaks even louder is that he would accept this award. He knows better than anyone that he doesn't deserve it, and to accept it in light of that knowledge shows how narcissistic and self-serving he really is.

I guess none of this should really be a surprise. His only accomplishments in life are moving to the next level without doing a single thing to deserve it. He became a US Senator. His record there was one of voting "Present" on everything and spending the majority of his term running for the Presidency. Now he is The President, and he still hasn't done a thing. He has done nothing and he is nothing. He is a mere poseur made of fluff, and this is just the icing on top of the cardboard, studio-prop cake.

Winning the Presidential Election devalued the election process and the very office he won. In America, we are proud of the fact that anyone can become President. However, this theory is made with the intent that someone who has worked hard and accomplished things deserving of the office will achieve that position. Now that we find out literally anyone can become President, it just doesn't seem so awesome anymore.

Barack Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize proves that it is nothing but a political sham and holds no meaning or worth. It's nothing more than a quick way to get extended media hype and 1.4 million dollars. It also proves that there is nothing sacred left in this World. Society has finally come to the point where nothing can hold respect or merit.

Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, for example, issued a statement this morning as a preliminary round of U.N. negotiations wrapped up in Thailand. The headline: "U.S. stance retards progress at Bangkok climate talks."

Asked for a reaction to Obama's award, Meyer replied via e-mail: "My guess is he was awarded the prize as much for his efforts to change the tone of the global conversation, re-engage the U.S. with the rest of the world, and listen to others' points of view with respect. The contrast with the previous U.S. president is pretty stark on these fronts, and it's a change that clearly appeals to the Nobel Committee.

"The award is likely more for the promise of what Obama hopes to accomplish on global warming, nuclear weapons reduction, Middle East peace, and other issues than it is for what he's accomplished to date. Whether the award helps the president achieve those objectives remains to be seen."

Quick, someone give me an Oscar and a Pulitzer, maybe it will inspire me to do something great one of these days. On second thought, I'll just go around saying the words hope and change over and over. That way I can become President of the United States and win my very own Nobel Peace Prize.

The Politics of Whining

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I read an Op-Ed piece in The New York Times entitled The Politics of Spite. Although it's obvious Paul Krugman likes to hear himself talk, or whatever the written equivalent of that would be, it's equally obvious he missed the point. Because there's so much spin in this article, you'll heave up your corndog when you get to the end, and yes, it was a good idea you didn't have that Icee.

Something very important happened on October 2, 2009. The World told Obama, "No, you can't," when the Olympic Committee eliminated Chicago on the first round of voting.

Though many in the media want to claim this decision was political, and that Christmas had come early by giving the World a chance to kick the US and not have to take heat for it, I don't believe this was the case. I don't believe the Olympic Committee hates the US, and I don't believe it was their intent to get even for the rest of the World.

Although it would be fun to spend the rest of my time writing this article about the ineptitude of Obama, and cap it off with a nice zing like--What's next? Is the White House chef not going to leggo his eggo?--there are deeper issues here.

The simple truth is Barack Obama acted like a complete fool and embarrassed us in front of the World. There are many layers to how he accomplished this. For starters, he sends his wife and...Oprah? Really? I'm sorry, but The Olympics doesn't house a pie eating competition. Why on earth would you send Oprah as a representative to the single greatest athletic competition in the universe? Not to mention, she didn't even speak.

I think that was a major contributing factor to them eliminating Chicago. How insulting is it that we think we can just flash a miscellaneous celebrity at them and sway the vote? Like the Olympic Committee was going to say, "Damn, they brought out Oprah, it's over now. We might as well just hand it over."

Anything's possible...

Then he shows up, gives a quick speech which was basically all about him, and then rushes off like he's too busy to stick around. When you're pleading your case to a committee, especially an important one like The Olympic Committee, and you're trying to sway their vote in your favor, at what point does giving them the proper respect and dues not come into the picture?

I just want you to know, Bob. I've always hated your skeevy little guts. You suck, I rule, it's just that simple. Can I borrow five bucks?...Yeah that's gonna happen. Nothing says win like self-aggrandizing pomposity.

Obama's arrogance and lack of respect was even mentioned by members of the committee.

The thing America is finding out, is we are no longer a Superpower. Gone are the days of Reagan and America's World prominence. We're still in the Country Club, but we're just one of the guys. Barack Obama is no more important than Nicolas Szarkozy, Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, or any other major World Leader.

He's starting to believe his own press. He thought he was just going to waltz into The Olympic Committee and they'd give him whatever he wanted because he's Obama. The Olympics are bigger than World Leaders, and they don't care if you're the first black American President, or the media's self-made second coming of Jesus.

So now we get to bust out the wahmbulance because "The vast right-wing conspiracy" is at it again. They're mean and spiteful and won'ts gives us whats ourses! Puh-leeze.

Unlike Rush Limbaugh and others, my moment of joy was not from Obama not getting his way. My moment of joy was when they told him no and then picked Brazil. Finally, something they couldn't blame on racism.