Right now

• Hope it was a safe and happy holiday for folks out there. I made it down to the great Athens, Ga. to watch UGA beat Ga. Tech in the last game of the season. I got a text from my friend Sparkles (who my friend Steph and I ended up sitting with) letting me know that Samuel L. Jackson was at the game, and on the field specifically. “There are snakes in this motherf’n stadium!” the text read. Love you Sparkles. In any event, Jackson is also apparently a fan of the Atlanta Falcons, who, let’s face it, are moving up the awesome chain. So, cool man. Welcome aboard Mr. Jackson!
• Cool.

• Just started following this story. I agree with Allahpundit: while it’s ingenious to cyberattack the nefarious to stall operations, it’s a risky endeavor because technology — as we are learning with the whole Wikileaks fiasco — is secure and controllable only to a degree. And I hesitate to write that because I do not advocate further control of the public internet domain. But I do advocate further understanding of the technology by the general public. The general public should take it upon themselves to be better educated about a lot of things. But that’s another rant for another time.
• Speaking of rants, my Fleury friend reminded me of this one. Made my day. “I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah… holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?” ~Clarke W. Griswold
• Yay! This is my favorite of the books. Happy birthday Clive!

• Things I learned about the SEC from my dad while relaxing on Thanksgiving Day:

1. It is the best conference because any team, at any time, can win against any other team. “There are no patsies in the SEC. Any team could kick your a** on any given day,” Pop said.
2. Derek Dooley may be a lot like his father. Tennessee should be excited.
3. Alabama should have beaten Auburn. But then, Georgia should have as well.

• Why is Hillary Clinton giving the official statement about the Wikileaks stuff? The boss said Obama is “hiding behind her pantsuit.” Which is funny. But not really.
• Finally, one of the great things about going home is that there were people at the game in camouflage, with huge dips of tobacco in their mouths, while country music played during the ESPN commercial breaks at the UGA game. And none of it was intended to be ironic. Good to be amongst my people again. Speaking of country music, my sister Juje made me a traveling disc and included this song. Heh. A good one to hear again. You can take the girl out of the South as they say…

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Oh my momma told me

So, my friend and house guest and I had a big fun church-y kind of day Sunday and I thought I’d throw some pictures out of man’s attempt to celebrate the transcendent. The house friend noted after mass here that Jesus was just “an all-around nice guy.” “Believe what you want,” he added. “But the guy never shot a dude.” Pretty much sums it up. Also included are pics from a side journey here to see how the Episcopalians do things. Apparently, they do things like Notre Dame in Paris. I’ll have to post the pics I took there and do a side by side comparison sometime.

In the meantime, a link roundup:

• Freaks me out. I think this is more disturbing than net neutrality or forced health insurance coverage or any other government attempt to control behavior. Because this works in the opposite direction. And, if we are forced into certain behaviors because it becomes illegal to do otherwise, regardless of how inherently risky they are, how does this impact how insurance companies rate us?
• Still working this one out. It interests me, but I think it’s prudent to tread cautiously here. Because too much dilution of the process can be just as problematic as too much centralized power. Not to sit the fence here but this is potentially a big deal. I’d just be damn sure I knew what I was getting into.
• My aunt had to call her sister in the Northern part of S. Korea to make sure she’s okay. Getting really tired of the bullying. Would be nice if the White House — and the man in charge, not his press secretary — took a stand and decried this kind of nonsense…
• Pretty much sums it up.
• For some random reason, I woke up singing the songs of this lady. I dug around in the CDs and found her discs. Sometimes everything just sort of flows together. If you let it. Enjoy.

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Monday, I hate you.

Really.

 

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It’s a lot smaller down here on the ground

• As the Mohel noted when asking me to read this, he’s managed to be almost poetic about the junk touching. And that’s just good writing folks.
• Since I’ve been asked to consider the moral implications of good fiscal policy, I’m studying this man’s thoughts on the subject. But then, I study this man’s thoughts on everything really. Here’s a nice little excerpt but you should really read the whole thing if you get the chance. I know it’s dry. I know it’s esoteric. It’s also enlightening and soul-salvaging and that’s what the kid here needs to gravitate to for a little while.

The demand for equality has two sources; one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest of human emotions. The noble source is the desire for fair play. But the other source is the hatred of superiority. . . . Equality (outside mathematics) is a purely social conception. It applies to man as a political and economic animal. It has no place in the world of the mind. Beauty is not democratic; she reveals herself more to the few than to the many, more to the persistent and disciplined seekers than to the many, more to the persistent and disciplined seekers than to the careless. Virtue is not democratic; she is achieved by those who pursue her more hotly than most men. Truth is not democratic; she demands special talents and special industry in those to whom she gives her favours. Political democracy is doomed if it tries to extend its demand for equality into these higher spheres. Ethical, intellectual, or aesthetic democracy is death. A truly democratic education—one which will preserve democracy—must be, in its own field, ruthlessly aristocratic, shamelessly “high-brow.”

 

and also this excerpt, because the concept of “for your own good” has come up lately…

 

a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.

• Came on in the car. Needed to hear it. Loved to hear it. Listen.
• I’m not proud of it, but I’m 100 percent positive that I’ll love this, know it by heart after seeing it once or twice, and quote lines from it for the rest of my life. How many times do I have to tell you people? Not sophisticated over here…

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Paden didn’t even like that damn dog

• Thank God there’s someone out there to save us from ourselves. Question: Will I be arrested the next time I make a good, stout Irish coffee?
• Aw yeah.
• SSP. Seriously though, why hasn’t there been more debate about this? I know it’s an exceedingly unpopular opinion to say that we do a pretty good job in this country of protecting the environment and that there’s a whole bunch of debate regarding the science and data used to determine a general warming of the planet, not to mention if this purported warming is caused by mankind. However, despite the unpopularity of the argument — something that has never really bothered me too much when formulating opinion. I’m lucky that way. — the fact remains that there are problems with the science and data. Asserting and acknowledging these things does not make one a hater of the environment. It just makes one aware that when motives are given greater weight publicly — and indeed manipulated to appear that they deserve greater weight — than they actually enjoy privately, you can be sure something else going on. And this is a good place to start real debate about how we manage our natural resources and protect our air, water, etc. Doing away with bullsh*t is always in order before attempting any project. But again, just an opinion.
• Yes, please.
• I’m starting this series. I have the first collection — have had it for years — but have never read it. An ex boyfriend was a  huge fan so I just wanted it out of sight for a while. But I’m ready now.
• This is just a good skill to have.
• So, my momma and I had a good conversation last night about straws breaking camels’ backs. It’s funny how you never really know what’s going to clarify everything and force a decision. It put me in the mind of this scene from a great film. The relevant speech comes at the 1:40 mark. For me, the “dog” was the suggestion that I lacked strength, which just mitigated everything I’ve been through and everything I’ve survived in life. And I’ll be damned if anybody strips me of my own survival. Just sayin’.                                

And, your music, courtesy of TheLobbyist.net. Good people doing good things over there. You can read some of what they do here.

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Howl

Right. So, just a little song in honor of 1) my friend Ethan popping back into my life after the gazillion years since High School; and 2) the lunchtime conversation about Poison. Obviously, not quite the Poison ones, but still just as cheesy, 80’s, hair-metally and, let’s face it, glorious. Hope you understand Liz. Here’s to you Ethan. Hope you’re well…

Also, did a crazy mad crunky hip-hop combination yesterday to this gentle little gem. We started the combo at about the 1:40 mark in the song. Seriously, awesome.

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Because it’s time

Jeesh. Okay, here it is. After a snarky text from an ex today, coming on the heels of a recent effort by a “friend” to squash my self-esteem so flat it schwarzschild radius’ itself into oblivion, I’m just feeling the need to go there. Something I dislike doing. But you people forced my hand.

Please take your drama, your trauma, your need to compete, your mommy issues, your daddy issues, your feelings of inadequacy, your sibling rivalry, your perverted attraction to trying to stir up chick-fights, your immaturity, your sociopathic tendencies, your inability to behave within the bell curve of normal in most social situations, your bullying, your selfishness, your need to dominate and your complete disregard for my feelings and kindly get bent.

Should you want to share your humor, your empathy, your wisdom, your faith, your joy, your intelligence, your love of good food, your love of good writing, anything related to good music or film, your ability to bring people together, your ability to make people laugh, your ability to act like an adult and your appreciation for my humanity and respect for my feelings, come on in. We can hang.

No doubt this post will disappear after I think better of it. But for now — please read it, take it to heart, and find someone else to pick on. When you learn to be a man, we can talk.

Here. Let it hit you.

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Celebrate the crashing of the Berlin Wall tonight.

UPDATE: Dang, almost forgot to post this. Jack White amazes me. And who knew Conan could rawk? More info here on this strange and awesome collaboration….

Very interesting panel discussion today at the think-tank-on-the-hill, otherwise known as Heritage. Byron York of The Washington Examiner, Ed Morrissey of HotAir.com and Billie Tucker of the First Coast Tea Party came together to discuss what happens now with the grassroots movement following the election. The general impression I’m left with after hearing these three speak — all of them incredibly insightful — is that the Tea Party doesn’t really know if they want to be a third party or if they want to go back to their lives and re-emerge only if their elected officials begin to screw them over again. York noted that if they want to be taken seriously as a party, acknowledging that they may not and that they may actually be less able to watchdog if they make that happen, they have to begin taking a stand on things like foreign policy. Morrissey noted that they made a good first start and that their presence — regardless of how much the conventional media outlets tried to downplay their influence — ushered in a truly unprecedented change in the political landscape. Tucker was clear: she did not know what the future would bring for the Tea Party; except that it most certainly would bring further marches and demands to end corruption if the Washington elected failed to represent the will of the people. Best part: a Pakistani reporter from a Pakistani publication asked Tucker about the perception that the Tea Party were racists, specifically toward Muslims. Tucker with grace and strength handled the question and made it known in no uncertain terms that the Tea Party was interested in other matters and if someone had given him that impression that they were shameful and should be disregarded as a representative of her group. As I said, fascinating.

On to the release of George W. Bush’s book. Again, the man has always gotten a bad rap, far worse than he’s ever deserved. The kid here has always liked him. Of course he made mistakes. Of course he could have done better. Of course he capitulated in the face of political pressure. He is also a decent man and, I think, was a pretty good president. This is a contentious opinion I realize. But I stand by it. Like him. Always have, always will. So does this man.

Finally, I just found Tom Petty’s greatest hits buried in my CD collection. It’s been a good couple of music days. You’ve always been there for me Tom. And I dig ya for it.

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A friend of the Louisiana state

So hey yeah. What’s this all about? The day the President needs a manager is the day the bureaucracy has truly won the war. Also, I just like the way Allah-p (that’s his rap name) writes this piece. If there’s one thing that’s become very uninteresting of late it’s the stinky cheese of those who choose cynicism but call it optimism. Allah-p is the opposite. He appears cynical but speaks the truth, and there’s really nothing more optimistic than that. And ultimately, willful ignorance is just lying. You can manipulate and justify and dress up the attraction to bullsh*t with lots of pretty words and high-minded ideals but in the end, you really just like the lie. More power to you. I’ll be somewhere else.

Well okay, enough there. On a personal note, I have a friend living with me for a bit while he looks around for permanent digs. He got here Saturday and, speaking from the perspective of someone who hasn’t had a roommate in many years, it was surprisingly cool to have someone around to watch stupid movies and discuss morning news shows with, not to mention whip up a mean gumbo (he’s from Louisiana and brought, as part of his skeleton list of needs, his giant gumbo pot). We even went to mass like good little Catholics. Of course we cut up and made jokes the whole time but we went. But most exciting is I get to be a friend to him — I get to help him out of a jam (the apartment he was set to rent fell through and he had to start work) and show him around my new city. I get to reassure him that it’s a big move and he’s right to feel a little nervous. I got to be excited for him as he started his new job this morning and be his cheering section as he learns and is excited about new things. In short, I get to be his friend. And that’s nice. I’ve missed that. And, remarkably, he’s returning the favor by just being laid back and funny and quick with a smile and a joke and, most importantly, not operating with any kind of agenda except, “Hey man, can you help a brother out? I’ll be grateful…”

And I really can’t express how much I needed to be reminded that there are just nice people in the world who live in the moment rather than three steps ahead, always looking for the angle in an effort to exploit the advantage. I mean, I do live in DC…

Anyway, here’s to you, sha. Stay as long as you like.

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Did I mention I have a dark side?

It came on the radio this morning, I cranked it and am astounded at how it was exactly what I needed to hear. I give you the video. It’s disturbing — don’t watch if you’re a little sensitive. But Amy, I feel ya. Sometimes it’s how I see the world, too.

And for you Charlotte. Thanks for reminding me to laugh a little. “Comin’ in for the real thing.”

And, read the “Good News for Liberals” portion of Taranto’s round up. It’s great.

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